Neopolitan and the Goblet of Fire
by Quatermass
Summary: (Based on, but not an answer to, DZ2's 'Silence Will Fall' challenge! WBWL! James Potter and Sirius-bashing! Female Harry!) When blown off the Atlas airship, Neopolitan was saved by a power from the world she came from. For Neo is actually Rose Potter...and she has been entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Now, Roman Torchwick's partner is on the ascendancy in Magical Britain...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

So, here I am, doing my first _RWBY_ crossover. I felt I should publish this one first instead of _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_ because, well, as it's set in the Potterverse rather than Remnant, I don't need to know as much about _RWBY_ , as I am, as of writing, still only partway through the first volume (though for the sake of this fic, I've read ahead).

This fic was actually partly inspired by one of DZ2's challenges: _Silence Will Fall_ , where Harry becomes mute. It doesn't follow all of the tenets of the challenge by any means, but it was this challenge that inspired me to do a story where a female Harry is also Neopolitan from _RWBY_. It's also a WBWL story, so if you don't like WBWL stories, or stories with James Potter and Sirius Black bashing, don't read this fic, and please don't leave a review.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both Harry Potter and _RWBY_.

Secondly, there will be heavy annotations, as is usual for my works. You have been warned.

Thirdly, this is an M-Rated work. There will be coarse language, violence, dark themes and sexual references. Again, you have been warned.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. Harry Potter and _RWBY_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Neo's going to make you her bitch…


	2. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Rescue

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **AN UNEXPECTED RESCUE**

As the old cliché went, it wasn't the fall that killed you, it was the sudden stop at the bottom. Then again, when said fall was through windy skies lousy with Grimm, and all you had slowing your fall was an umbrella, well, you might end up dead before you hit the ground at terminal velocity anyway. And the girl currently flying out of control through said Grimm-infested skies, lit only by the light of a shattered moon, knew that all too well.

Through an earpiece she had, to listen to any orders from her boss and big brother, she heard their target, an annoyance by the name of Ruby Rose, yell, " _I don't care what you say. We WILL stop them, and I WILL stop you!_ _ **BET ON THAT!**_ "

 ** _Ha_**. As if life ever turned out like it did in a fairytale. True, the girl currently gliding uncontrollably through the air, buffeted by air currents and the wakes of Grimm attacking, had helped in this plan. But that was because her big brother was made an offer he couldn't refuse. And if it meant surviving…well, the girl knew about surviving. Friends and family had a bad tendency to betray you. That was how she came here. Only her big brother, the criminal known as Roman Torchwick, had never betrayed that trust. They had helped each other out time and again.

Still, that Little Red Riding Brat was a good fighter, she had spirit. Hell, even at her most vulnerable, Ruby even managed to force the girl's favourite weapon, the Pernicious Parasol(1), to open, hence her current predicament. Oh, she could teleport, but it was hard teleporting onto moving objects at times, especially one going as fast as the Atlas airship. And she needed to concentrate, a bit hard when you were being buffeted around by the wind.

After the brief sound of a battle, she heard her big brother say, " _You've got spirit, Red! But this is reality! And reality is_ _ **cold!**_ _It doesn't give a shit about spirit! You want to be a hero so bad? Then you can_ _ **die**_ _, just like every other Huntsman! And I'll do what is best for me, lie, steal, cheat, and_ _ **survive!**_ " Suddenly, a muffled cry of pain, and then, a strange, sonorous beat, followed by muffled screaming, both human and not. With a thrill of horror, the girl realised that the microphone, along with the holder, had been eaten by a Grimm.

 _Big brother_ , she mouthed. Tears trickled from her eyes, one pink, one brown. She thought, _You gambled…and you lost._ _ **We**_ _lost. Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, and that witch they answer to…they don't care about us. Neither do the White Fang. They've gotten what they want. Hell, Little Red Riding Brat gets to survive…for now. Unless that damn Grimm decides it wants seconds. I hope it does_.

A roar, and she was forced to try and kick away a Griffon. Which was somewhat laughable, but it discouraged it…but it also sent her spinning out of control through the skies, her umbrella's canopy inverted. Now she was freefalling, and even teleporting to the ground would end up with her dying anyway. It only mitigated momentum so much, and her Semblance could only do so much either.

As much as Roman disdained fairytales, the girl really, badly wanted a fairytale ending right about now. She didn't want to be a princess, though. All she wanted to do was live, even if the happily ever after bit was optional.

As she plummeted through the skies, she heard a voice speak. An old, powerful voice that seemed familiar. " _Rose Harriet Potter?_ "

Irritably, she thought, even as the ground rushed up to meet her, _That is not my name! It hasn't been for years!_

This peevish thought may have been the last she ever thought, when she was suddenly consumed by a blast of azure flames…

* * *

For years afterwards, her disappearance was the subject of considerable concern within Remnant. Many thought she had died. Others thought she had merely gone to ground, perhaps too traumatised by the death of a man whom she was partners with to get up to any more mischief and malice. Or maybe she was plotting some sort of revenge. These concerns were a source of minor anxiety to both sides, though the entity known as Salem merely thought of her as a pawn whose use had ended.

In truth, the mute girl who had stood by Roman Torchwick's side had been snatched back home, to a world that didn't bask in the light of a shattered moon. A world that had abandoned her…and yet even now, had reached out to take her back.

And that was a mistake they would come to regret…

* * *

When you grow to be as old as Albus Dumbledore, you gain a litany of regrets as long as your arm, if not longer. And one of the causes of many of them were the Potters and Sirius Black.

When that fateful night occurred, when Lily Potter sacrificed herself to protect her children, James Potter survived. At the time, Albus felt only relief. But over time, he wondered whether Lily should have survived in his stead. A boy he had been fond of, like a substitute grandchild, had grown up to become a spoiled, wilful glory hound…and while those were Severus' words rather than Albus', the old wizard felt Severus, behind all the bitterness and spite clouding his judgement, had a point.

Rumours had reached his ears of how James had treated his near-Squib of a daughter, one who had been utterly mute since that night. It was partly the apparent lack of magic (not a complete absence) that led Dumbledore to name her younger brother the Boy Who Lived…the prophecy, after all, named a child of Lily Potter to be the one with the power to vanquish Voldemort. Not which one.

And then, the kidnapping. Or at least what James Potter had claimed to be one. Albus' contacts within the Department of Mysteries suggested another story entirely. There had been some unauthorised use of a few of the chambers on the night Rose Harriet Potter went missing, including the Death Chamber, the one with the Veil.

But he couldn't confront James. Leaving aside the man's political power (which, while on the wane now, was substantial, thanks to him riding high on his son's reputation as the Boy Who Lived), Albus had no proof whatsoever, just some unnerving coincidences. James had come to Hogwarts to greet the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang last night, and had left for his seat at Potter Manor this morning. Albus had the notion that James had been up to something.

The truth was, James believed himself to be a scion of the Light, and Dumbledore's true successor. There may have been a time when Albus believed that, or had wanted that, but his attempts to groom James Potter into that role were rejected after that fateful night. James had his own views of how to run Magical Britain…and as far as he was concerned, they were the only way. He turned out to be a Blood Purist almost as bad as any Slytherin, perhaps even worse, exploiting Muggleborns for ideas, and then discarding them when they weren't of any use.

And allied with Sirius Black, well, they were a force to be reckoned with in the Wizengamot. Fudge spent time torn between Malfoy and his alliance's gold, and that of James and Sirius'. And despite being Chief Warlock, Dumbledore was relatively powerless to stop their crusade.

Not that they all had it their way. Their domineering attitudes had alienated many once-allied families, like the Longbottoms and the Tonks. What people considered to be the Light was falling apart. And at the worst possible time too, as Albus had heard dark rumours in Albania. The riot at the Quidditch World Cup and its conclusion didn't help matters either. Voldemort was on the rise, looking to be resurrected once more, and Albus knew that, even amongst those who would believe him, they were divided.

Trying not to look like he had such heavy thoughts, Dumbledore prepared to make the announcements for the Champions for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. While he agreed that international cooperation was a good thing, he felt that Crouch and Bagman were just trying to make the British Ministry of Magic look good. And Bagman was overly fond of potentially-lethal spectacle for Albus' liking.

The first name came out, and Albus announced the name of Viktor Krum as the Champion of Durmstrang. Rather unfortunate that that school had such an emphasis on learning the Dark Arts, and not for defence, either. Still, the Goblet chose Krum as a paragon, Dumbledore supposed, and the boy was excellent at Quidditch.

The second name was Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons. A part-Veela, and doubtless the object of envy and lust. A bit snobbish, a bit like the stereotype of the French, but she was also the daughter of a famous Auror in France. And certainly one of Beauxbatons' top students.

The third and final name was Cedric Diggory, chosen to be Champion of Hogwarts. Ah, how delightful! Pomona would be so proud that the Hufflepuffs, long denigrated as 'duffers', got a chance to shine. Why did people look down on loyalty, hard work and tenacity? Amos would be proud.

Albus, however, made the mistake of believing everything had gone according to plan. In truth, Halloween had been something of an ill-omened day for him. And for others, true, but Quirrell unleashed a troll three years ago, and Ginny Weasley, under the influence of the Horcrux diary, released the Basilisk two years ago. Last year, Peter Pettigrew escaped Azkaban on this day.

The Goblet flared once more, much to Albus' surprise. And the name of Charles Potter came out. His eyes flickered over to the Boy Who Lived.

He had to admit, the boy was both a disappointment, and yet a vindication. Spoiled by fame, and sometimes acting it, he had nonetheless risen to the occasion during the incidents here. Brown-haired, green-eyed, he looked like James and Lily's child. A bit too arrogant for his liking at times, and there were times when he reminded Albus of a young Tom Riddle, but the shock on his face when Albus announced his name was apparently genuine.

Of course, as Charles slunk into the antechamber to wait with the other Champions, the surprises didn't end there. The Goblet flared once more, and another parchment appeared. Dumbledore caught it, and then, he paled. "How could this be?" he asked quietly. Then, loudly, he spoke three words, six syllables, that had a chill run down the spines of those present at the sheer impossibility of it.

"Rose Harriet Potter."

Suddenly, in front of the Goblet, the floor seemed to burst into azure flames. And in its wake, a figure was lying, sprawled on the floor. A girl of indeterminate age, maybe a teenager, or a short and petite adult. But she could have been **_her_** age. She was dressed in dark trousers, a white, midriff-baring blouse or jacket, her abdomen covered by a brown corset. She held an umbrella, broken, inverted by what could have been a gale. She wore necklaces.

Her hair was brown and pink, the pink parts having slight white streaks through them. As she opened her eyes, he saw that one was brown, and the other pink. She sat up, her face (there was no mistaking that face) twisted into a grimace of pain, though no groan escaped her lips. At best, a soft sigh, but it sounded like a thunderclap in the hush the Great Hall had fallen under.

The moment she realised where she was, she was on her feet, with surprising agility, even elegance. Dumbledore knew, though, that she was dangerous. Beneath the casual, even cocky demeanour, she was at the ready, even with that umbrella, which she had managed to put back into place and close, over her shoulder. And then, her mismatched eyes met his own. And narrowed.

"Rose Potter?"

Dumbledore's voice cut across the Great Hall. He had seen this materialisation, but he wasn't sure he could believe it. Rose Potter was dead, or so James had claimed. Rose had become a symbol of his failures almost as much as Rose's mother…and Ariana. And yet, here she was. Changed, yes, but the shape of her face was right, even if the hair and eye colour was odd.

The girl's gaze lessened slightly in its hostility. She plucked from a pocket what looked like a Muggle device, apparently made of a transparent screen. It looked decades in advance of anything Dumbledore knew of. She tapped on the screen for a bit, before she scowled, and then tapped on it again. A hiss of frustration escaped her lips, before she began tapping on it as if she was typing. Eventually, she walked over to him, and showed him the screen.

On the screen was a simple sentence of text. It read: _That is not my name_.

Dumbledore blinked. What had happened to her? Why was she refusing to answer to her name? Trying to be diplomatic, he asked, "Well, what name do you want me to call you?"

After a moment, she typed more into that device of hers, before she showed him the message. He had to admit, it was an unusual name, a rather sweet name for a girl who was setting off his instincts for danger. Because he knew there was something truly dark within the girl. And yet, the name truly suited her, especially her colour scheme.

 _You may call me…Neopolitan_.

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Hoo boy. Neo is a female Harry, she's now in Hogwarts shortly after Roman got nommed by a Grimm, and she's stuck here with the wizards. Or maybe they're stuck here with her…**

 **Those who followed the original version of this chapter in** ** _The Cauldron_** **will notice that I took James Potter out of the equation. It felt tangled up otherwise. Neo and James would be at each other's throats, as they knew one another, and James wasn't buying the amnesia excuse thanks to her glare. So I decided to change things around. James is no longer a teacher at Hogwarts.**

 **1\. Neo's weapon doesn't have an official name, but I gave it one.**


	3. Chapter 2: Cold Reception

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **COLD RECEPTION**

Neo strode into the anteroom where she had been directed, escorted by some fatuous fat fuck called Ludo Bagman. Some Ministry official who, judging by the Wimbourne Wasps Quidditch robes and the punch-drunk expression, was some ex-Quidditch star gone to seed. Actually, she remembered the sperm donor and Black talking about him.

Apparently she was being announced as the fifth Champion of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. And given the name, that was two mages too many. The mutinous expressions on the other four would-be Champions, mixed in with confusion (she had apparently been declared dead on this world), showed that they agreed.

Honestly, she had only used the magic inside her to fuel her Semblance, make the illusions so real, she could substitute them for herself during combat, allowing her to survive what could have been fatal wounds. Not that she needed that fighting against Yang Xiao Long. That blonde bimbo may have been strong and a half-decent fighter, but her fighting style was also predictable as hell.

Bagman hadn't given her name yet, but the haughty blonde girl asked, in a French accent, "And who is she?"

"Why, this is Rose Harriet Potter, of course!"

Neo sighed, and activated an app on her Scroll. It was a basic soundbank coupled with a set of pre-set messages. The message she chose was accompanied by a very distinctive sound. Namely, a klaxon.

 ** _AWOOGA! AWOOGA! AWOOGA!(_** ** _1)_**

Once she had gotten their attention, she showed the word she had up on her Scroll, pulsing in bright red. **_WRONG_**.

Then, she tapped another icon, and it then showed another message. _My name is Neopolitan. My friends call me Neo_.

"Well then, Neo…" Bagman began, only for Neopolitan to tap another icon, and another pre-programmed text display came up.

 _You are NOT my friend_.

"And do you have **_any_** friends, little girl?" the French girl asked haughtily. Oh, Oum, she reminded Neo of that bitch Weiss Schnee. She really, really hoped that some rabid White Fang nutjob had torn that bitch apart. Unlike Roman, Neo had some sympathy for the Faunus, though she thought that the White Fang were little more than rabid animals. Useful, true, but only in that they could be disposable mooks when the time came.

Neo smirked, and tapped another icon. She had literally hundreds of these, for almost any occasion. Not that she usually used it. It was usually only with Roman, or on the few occasions that she was required to communicate in more than gestures. And she showed the French tart the response.

 _Do you?_

"But why do you call yourself Neopolitan?" Bagman asked, puzzled. "The parchment slip said 'Rose Harriet Potter'."

"Maybe it's because she likes Neapolitan ice cream or something? I mean, she looks like it," the handsome boy, the one older than her, mused. Not the broody one with the hunched back, or the one who was her little brother, if only by blood.

Neo smiled at him, as if he was correct. Well, he wasn't wrong. When he first met her on the streets, Roman had asked her what her name was, and at the time, Neo wanted to leave the name of Rose Harriet Potter behind. She wanted to be a new person. So she chose to name herself after her favourite ice cream. It was Roman who had suggested deliberately misspelling 'Neapolitan' to 'Neopolitan', as he liked the thought of nicknaming her 'Neo'. And that felt good, actually. 'Neo' meant 'new', and it felt like she was a new girl.

"You can't be my sister," her little brother said. "She had red hair and green eyes…and she died of an illness." He looked too much like the sperm donor, albeit with icy green eyes, and two scars like an equals sign on his forehead, just hidden by his fringe.

Neo sighed, and tapped in a message in a different app. _Hey, I'm as surprised as you are, okay? I don't know why people think I'm your sister, but I got snatched from where I was by some freaky blue flames. Not that I'm complaining, mind. I was skydiving without a parachute_.

"Skydiving? Without a parachute?" the handsome boy asked. "Are you suicidal or something?"

 _It wasn't by choice_. She checked over her umbrella as she did so. She'd need to see if she could get it in for repairing. Though given how technology had been on this world, as far as she could remember, she'd have a hard time doing that. There was no Dust, technology was decades behind Remnant even amongst the Muggles (though thankfully not that far), and she was amongst the wizards, who were mostly stuck in Victorian times at best. If she recalled, their most recent innovations were using a bus as emergency transport, and a form of radio they called the Wizarding Wireless. Not the sort of wireless she wanted, though: she missed Wi-Fi already.

"Is it broken?" the handsome boy asked. On her nod, he said, pulling out his wand, "May I?"

Reluctantly, she nodded, and held out the umbrella. " _Reparo_ ," he said, waving his wand. And the damned thing was now as good as new. She nodded in thanks, though she wasn't used to people doing things just out of altruism.

It was at that point that the old fart Dumbledore (what was it about him that reminded her of Ozpin? Aside from the whole eccentric headmaster thing?), along with some others, came in. Thankfully, the sperm donor wasn't there: otherwise, she'd be tempted to gut him then and there. Oh well, she could do that tomorrow. Or at least when she could. She could feign amnesia. That was why she denied being Rose Harriet Potter. That could protect her.

"What is the meaning of this?!" one of the people who came in, a tall and intense man dressed in furs demanded. He had a somewhat Slavic accent.

"Yes, I would like to know as well," another, a tall woman, speaking with a French accent, said.

"I was under the impression, Dumbledore, that the Age Line you put in would have kept out younger contestants. Otherwise, we would have brought a wider range of contestants," the first man said. "Now you have two Potters participating."

Neo, making a point, activated the app again, and the klaxon wailed once more, with the word **_WRONG_** showing up on it, before she activated the next message. _My name is Neopolitan_. Then, as an afterthought, she pressed, _Get it right_.

The man sneered. "And aren't Muggle items not allowed in Hogwarts?"

"Calm yourself, Igor," Dumbledore said. "Miss Neopolitan here, as she seems to prefer to be called, cannot speak, so she uses the device to communicate. Though I must confess myself astonished that an electronic device is actually working at Hogwarts."

Neo blinked, before she typed in a message. _No electronics working here? BOOORRRRING!_

The message actually got some strained laughter from Dumbledore, as well as a man who looked like something a Grimm chewed up and shat out, with a weird blue eye that looked artificial. Cedric even laughed a little. The others looked far from amused. Neo then tapped out another message. _Look, the only part of this situation I like is that I am far away from where I was. I don't even know where I am_. Which was a barefaced lie.

"How could you not?!" Bagman protested.

"Because she's an amnesic Squib, Bagman, keep up," remarked a snide voice, belonging to a greasy-haired man with a big nose.

Neo typed into her Scroll, _I'm not a squid, I'm ice cream!_

"And deranged too," the greasy-haired man said. Oh, now she recognised him. Snivellous Snape, the man her father blamed for Voldemort attacking them…along with that rat Pettigrew.

It went downhill from there. Some dried-up old turd in a suit calling himself Crouch claimed that Neo and the so-called Boy Who Lived was stuck in some sort of magical contract to participate in this Tri-Wizard Tournament thing, despite the protests of most involved. Then, the scarred bastard (who reminded her too much of a cop for her liking) said something ominous about the Potters being entered to get them killed.

Neo just sat on the sidelines, watching the argument, standing near the handsome boy, who introduced himself as Cedric. _So, can we get popcorn?_ Neo asked. _Or ice cream?_

"You seem to be taking this well," Cedric observed.

Neo shrugged. _I don't know who dragged me here…yet. But when I do_ … She left that last bit in the air. She was tempted to deploy the blade in her umbrella to make a point, but that might tip her hand just a bit too early.

The adults seemed to finally reach a consensus, and Crouch stepped forward, telling them that the First Task was a test of their daring and bravery in the face of the unknown. So they would only be facing it with their wands.

Neo held up a hand, before typing out a message. _I don't have a wand. All I have is my umbrella…and it isn't magic_.

"We'd best remedy that, then," Dumbledore said solemnly.

 _Oh, all I need is my umbrella_.

"It's not a wand, therefore, you won't be able to use it," Crouch said officiously, only for Neo to scowl.

 _I believe the term is 'from my cold dead hands'_ , she typed into her Scroll.

"Calm down," Dumbledore said. "Miss Neopolitan…come with me, if you would, please? Minerva, I will leave you to deal with your student. Severus?"

As much as she distrusted the old man, Neo also knew that Dumbledore didn't have anything to do with the abuse she suffered from the sperm donor. She was only playing along for now so that she could orient herself, now that she was…well, not home, but back in the world of her birth…

* * *

Once she was brought to Dumbledore's office, Neo looked around briefly. She had to admit, she was enamoured with some of the bric-a-brac. In fact, she was already wondering if she could pinch any of it. She was, after all, all but raised by one of the best thieves in Remnant. "Miss Neopolitan…" Dumbledore began. "It seems that you may be in fact Miss Rose Potter, the older sister of Charles, the boy you met earlier. You don't remember that name?"

Neo just shook her head. The old man came around to her, and gently reached a hand over to her forehead. She let him, reluctantly, brush aside her fringe, revealing a faded scar, one she usually hid. One shaped like a lightning bolt. "I know that you are because of that scar. Which makes me wonder, why did James lie to me?"

"Because Potter is a habitual liar," Snape sneered. "No doubt he wanted her discreetly disposed of. After all, a mute is as bad as a Squib. Still, amnesia…must've clubbed her over the head and left her somewhere."

"Severus…" Dumbledore chided, only for Snape to sneer.

"Don't start! If Potter and Black were willing to lure me to my death at the hands of the werewolf, then they'd be willing to kill an embarrassment of a child!"

"I don't think you are in any position to judge them, Severus," Dumbledore said icily. "Or are you saying that nobody is worth a second chance? Even _you?_ "

Snape scowled in fury. "How dare you?!"

Neo snapped her fingers to get their attention, before she typed into her Scroll. _I don't remember my life before I was seven. My guardian, Roman Torchwick…he found me with a head injury. He raised me. We were in a business of sorts. Unfortunately, we got the attention of the wrong kind of people. I was thrown out of an airplane, and Roman was murdered_. It was mostly truth, save for the bits about her not remembering, or the head injury.

"I see," Dumbledore said. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Neopolitan."

 _Thank you_ , she said insincerely. It was easy to get away with insincerity when you typed out your responses. She very nearly asked about Remus Lupin, but decided not to, in case that blew a hole in her story about being amnesic. Remus was the only one of the Marauders she trusted…assuming he hadn't died or been corrupted by the sperm donor or Black in the meantime.

"You seem remarkably unfazed about being entered into a dangerous tournament, especially with no magical training or wand," Dumbledore said.

A sardonic smirk touched her lips. _I can fight pretty well_.

"Nonetheless, the rules are clear. Tomorrow, I or someone else will be escorting you to Diagon Alley to get you a wand," Dumbledore said. "Unfortunately, the rules state that neither I nor my staff can give you training…but I do know some people who can help you. If you truly lack memory of your childhood, then I should tell you that there is a man who was like an uncle to you, Remus Lupin. He is an expert on Defence Against the Dark Arts."

 _Yes!_ Neo thought to herself, fighting down the impulse to smile or pump a fist. She was curious as to why Dumbledore didn't mention the sperm donor or Black. Had the fossil finally gotten a clue that they weren't nice people? And maybe Dumbledore knew that whatever cock and bull story the sperm donor was false now that Neo had turned up alive.

Which meant that Neo was in danger. Oh, not yet. James Potter wouldn't dare try something in the centre of Dumbledore's power. Nothing lethal, anyway, not unless he was guaranteed to succeed.

But Neo had grown up in a world with Grimm. She had hung around terrorists who wanted to slit her throat just for being human. And that was without going into the likes of Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, along with their boss, Salem.

Neo was a survivor. And perhaps in this world, she could not only survive, but thrive…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Neo has gotten a rundown of what's happening. But what next?**

 **Now, in case you're wondering why Neo isn't mourning Torchwick, she will soon. She's just been swept up in everything else.**

 **1\. If you want the sound I have in mind, think of the penalty klaxon from** ** _QI_** **.**


	4. Chapter 3: Night Thoughts

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **NIGHT THOUGHTS**

In the guest quarters she had been assigned, Neo finally allowed it to hit her. That Roman, her big brother, was dead. Oh, she knew it, and she was mourning him to some degree, but now that she was alone with her thoughts…it hit her even more.

He was a criminal, true. An unrepentant thief, murderer, and mercenary. Many of those epithets could apply to Neo herself. She hadn't killed that many people, but she had, in cold blood and in the heat of the moment. They went where the money was. And for some time before he died, and she was torn into this new world, they had been working under Cinder Fall…who was working under Salem. And from the few times Neo had actually met Salem…well, she was most definitely bad news. And Neo doubted Salem would mourn Roman's loss.

But Neo would. And she did. As she showered, hot water running off her petite body, she closed her eyes, and wept quietly, silently. She allowed the enormity of what had happened to hit her. Roman was dead. And Salem wouldn't care, instead using the chaos Roman and Neo fomented to run rampant.

Maybe being snatched away from Remnant was the best thing that happened to Neo since Roman took her under his wing. Because without Roman…well, where did Neo have to go? Work under Cinder? Not with Roman dead. Go crawling over to Beacon or Atlas? Hah! They'd lock her away. Especially after she killed so many Atlesian soldiers.

She didn't feel remorse for their lives, the ones she took. While she didn't take lives unnecessarily, she didn't feel any guilt. Though she did enjoy indulging a bit of sadism every now and then. But one needed to kill in order to survive. Otherwise, one was killed themselves. It didn't matter whether they were humans, Grimm, or Faunus. Life was built on death. Survival was built on it.

The only thing she had left behind in Remnant was perhaps avenging Roman's death. And how would she go about that? Killing Ruby? While Neo was sure she could do it, the truth is, Roman's death was accidental, at least as far as Ruby was concerned. The most she did was distract him unintentionally before a Grimm nommed on him. Okay, Neo would have still tracked down the little bitch and carved a smile into her cheeks with a knife at the very least, but killing her, well…she wasn't certain.

Under the hot water, she sobbed quietly. Her big brother was dead. And she had been torn away from everything she had known…back to the place she didn't want to return to. And now, she needed to figure out a way to deal with the sperm donor and the mutt before they dealt with her first. She had bought time with her amnesia excuse, and thank Oum they weren't here, as she might not have been able to restrain herself from glaring at them. And that would have given the game away.

As she finished her shower, she thought back to Roman's words to Ruby. Lie, steal, cheat and survive. Yes, that would be her motto here. _Lie. Steal. Cheat._ _ **Survive**_.

According to Dumbledore, Potter was apparently now a top Auror. She needed to deal with him soon. Of course, she needed to ensure that she didn't get caught. No magic, though she doubted that her Semblance counted.

A shame that her Semblance wasn't more like Emerald's, that she could cast a delusion on her father, make him kill himself. Her skill was in illusions, cast on herself and her allies…and objects of her choosing. Hmm, food for thought.

Of course, killing him as he was now would make him a martyr if she wasn't careful. And Black would be sure to make her Prime Suspect if she didn't deal with him quickly. Hmm, a patsy was needed, then? But who?

Well, she knew she had to hit the ground running. When Dumbledore or his chosen lackey took her to Diagon Alley tomorrow, she would have to make a stop at Flourish and Blott's, in case there was anything she could get. Any information. And then, she could begin…

* * *

James Potter was not a nice person. In fact, he was spoiled, entitled, cocky, and with an absolute conviction that he alone knew what was good for the sake of Magical Britain. He wasn't alone in that regard, nor was he the only one with such misplaced conviction with money and influence. Especially with his son Charles being not only the Boy Who Lived, but also, thanks to a rather dubious ritual, one of the strongest wizards to ever live. All it needed was a mute near-Squib of a daughter, one he didn't want.

True, he could have arranged for a marriage, but there was something about the girl he never liked. That muteness since that night…and the fact that he knew Lily favoured Rose Harriet Potter over Charles. Plus, he didn't want to give out any more money to the little bitch than he had to, when that money could be better spent on events and bribes. The Potter family's finances had been drained by the previous war, and even while under the influence of Amortentia, Lily would never have dreamed of harming any child. But with Lily gone, and James now having a son he wanted instead of a daughter, well…he had only one use for a useless, mute daughter. No mute of wizarding blood had ever been able to cast spells properly, and it was a stain on the Potter line that needed to be rubbed out.

Plus, he had to admit, if only to himself, he was jealous. While she had displayed no magical aptitude yet, not since the accident, she showed herself to be a Metamorphmagus. She was too damned good for his liking. She shouldn't have that power. She was a mute near-Squib who didn't deserve to live.

So, she was forced to give up her magical core to her brother in a ritual in the Department of Mysteries, and then thrown through the Veil. All at the age of six, as a fifth birthday present for her brother. That was ten years ago now. The Unspeakables he had involved were paid well for their silence, and the _Prophet_ merely announced that the sister to the Boy Who Lived had perished after a brief illness. Privately, James and Sirius claimed to their friends and allies (at the time, anyway) that she had been kidnapped, and that, after refusing to pay a ransom, Rose had disappeared.

Dumbledore bought it, but Remus… while he didn't know, suspected. And the fragile friendship they had broken. Not that he needed a friendship with a werewolf.

Of course, James knew that Dumbledore didn't think much of this, but fuck him. He was an old man whose time was long since passed. James Potter and his son were the future of Magical Britain. And he would show them why.

So it was while having a late night drink of bourbon (he had to admit to being partial to Muggle alcohol) that he received a late night visitor. Not wholly unexpected: he had cultivated a 'friendship' with Ludo Bagman, partly by buying out the man's debts, and making it clear the fatuous man owed him favours. But he was expecting the man, who came by Floo, to give him the news that Charles had been selected as the fourth Champion.

"Ludo, what brings you here at this late hour?" James asked, schooling his features into mild surprise, irritation, and confusion.

"Well, James, it's really most extraordinary," Bagman said, mopping his brow. "May I?" he asked, indicating the decanter and a spare glass James had set out for this exact same purpose. James nodded reluctant assent, and Bagman said, as he poured himself a glass, "Well, as you know, the drawing of the Champions happened tonight. Amos' boy got chosen as Champion of Hogwarts."

 _Here's hoping that self-righteous twat's son gets killed, then_ , James thought. Amos had been a thorn in his side on occasion. "And? That doesn't seem like news to me, Ludo."

"Oh, I haven't gotten to the best part. Well, Viktor Krum's been chosen as Durmstrang's Champion, and Monsieur Delacour's daughter, the older one, is now Beauxbatons' Champion. But here's the most extraordinary thing…the Goblet spat out another parchment, one with Charles' name on it!"

"What?" James demanded, or pretended to. "He's in the Tri-Wizard Tournament?!"

"I know, I know. Most extraordinary. Still, an opportunity for us to show up those foreign students, eh?" Bagman said with a knowing smile. "He doesn't know how and why the name came out, and he looked ever so shocked, but, well, he's in a magical contract, and he has to compete or lose his magic. I have to say, it's an extraordinary turn of events."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow, see if this is some stupid prank that has gone awry," James said, playing the role of an angry, irritated father. "I thought that Dumbledore had put in measures against any underaged students putting their name into the Goblet of Fire!"

"Oh, old Mad Eye had some ideas about that, but that's not the most extraordinary thing about this whole night," Bagman said.

James scoffed. "I doubt it," he said, raising his glass to his lips and sipping at the bourbon.

"Well, another name came out. Your daughter's name."

James' eyes bulged, and he choked on his bourbon, sending it spraying across the room, some of it hitting Bagman. He coughed and spluttered, before he stared at Bagman. "…What."

"Yes, extraordinary, I know," Bagman said, mopping at his face and wiping down his robes with a grubby handkerchief, only mildly miffed at being subjected to being sprayed with bourbon. "Anyway, the Goblet seemed to summon her there…well, except she seemed to insist on being called 'Neopolitan'. Had a rather odd getup too. Seemed to not know where she was, or even that Charles was her brother. As she doesn't seem to answer to Rose Potter anymore, I think she has amnesia."

Inwardly, James was panicking. Because it meant that the sins of the past had come back to haunt him. He hoped that Bagman was right, that the bitch had amnesia. Though how the bloodsoaked Pureblood Hell she survived being tossed through the Veil, he had no idea. It took him a while to get back onto an even keel. "She's alive?"

"Yes, but didn't you say she had an illness and died?"

"Yes, but that was a cover story. Rose was kidnapped at that time, and her kidnappers claimed that they killed her. Either she survived, or they took her themselves. She's alive? She's really alive?"

"I don't think the Goblet lies, James. It's rather odd, though. She had a strange Muggle device, one she used to type out messages. It could even play sounds. Also worked at Hogwarts. I thought electronics or whatever Muggles used didn't work there."

"They don't," James said, his mind all awhirl. This, he thought, was a fucking disaster. The sins of the past had come back to haunt him. While he could be lucky, and the girl's amnesia was genuine, he wasn't so sure that was the case. He needed to find out the truth, and fast. Otherwise, he, and Sirius, risked being dragged down into ignominy, all because of a skeleton in the closet that didn't have the good sense to _stay_ in the closet…

* * *

Dumbledore, as he often did, was spending a sleepless night pacing his office. What were the implications of this, he thought? Charles and Rose, now Neopolitan, were now Champions in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Why and how had they been entered? And what had happened to Neopolitan after her kidnapping? Always assuming, of course, that James Potter had been telling the truth.

And there was something about Neo that put him on edge. There was something predatory about that girl. Something dark. She may not have had a voice, but she had claws, and it was silent predators one had to look out for the most, as Newt Scamander put it…

* * *

If one knew anything about Charles Potter, one would have thought he would have been seething with jealous rage at being usurped by his sister. But in fact, while his so-called best friend Ron Weasley snored, having shown his fair weather friend tendencies, Charles was actually smiling. And it wasn't a pleasant smile at all. It was vicious and cruel.

 _Well, well, well, so she's back…like a lamb to the slaughter. But even lambs have teeth, and they may bite you when being dragged to the abattoir_ , he thought to himself. _Now, how to deal with her…or perhaps have her as the stepping stone for my ascendancy_ …

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Hoo boy, Neo's made waves already. And what is with Charles' dark thoughts?**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Breakfast and Werewolf

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **BREAKFAST AND WEREWOLF**

There are few consistent treatments for a bad mood as good as a good night's sleep, and Neo, while still sad and sorrowful, felt a lot better after last night. She found her clothes laundered and pressed, and guessed that House Elves were involved (she had been given some pyjamas to wear for last night). A cloak was underneath it, with a note from Dumbledore. _While what you wear is your business, as long as it is decent, please wear this so that less open minds aren't offended. Dumbledore_.

While he meant well, Neo couldn't help but scoff quietly. She chose her clothes so that she could move freely. Okay, she wore high heels, but she was used to fighting in those. She barely showed any skin anyway. It might have drawn comment back in Victorian times, but even in modern day Britain, it would have caused a raised eyebrow at most, if only because of the unfamiliar fashion rather than how much she showed off. Hell, there were kids her age on Remnant who showed off more skin. Emerald, for example, while a bit older than her, still showed off quite a bit of skin. Even that stuck-up hag Goodwitch showed more bosom than Neo did.

Of course, there was more than one way to play at that game. She would only take the cloak for wearing outdoors, as it was, apparently, October…no, it was the first of November today now, wasn't it? Oum, she hadn't missed British winters. She used an illusion from her Semblance to change her clothes, once she was wearing them, to a rather sober black suit. If anyone asked, she'd be in mourning for Roman. Which was partly true, after all.

After dressing, she made her way down to breakfast. She was grateful that her Scroll charged itself while in proximity to her Aura, though she knew she'd have to find a way to adapt the charger for it to run on electricity sometime soon. And of course, she'd have to do that AWAY from Hogwarts. Fucking wizards and their wards playing merry havoc with electronics.

* * *

When she entered the Great Hall that morning, a hush came over, and she was acutely aware of the stares that she was attracting. Oh, of course. The sister of the Boy Who Lived had appeared all of a sudden. It's a mystery to everyone. Neo wasn't sure how she came here, save for the bullshit magical artifact known as the Goblet of Fire.

That being said, she matched their stares, cocking her head and smiling ever-so-slightly. As if to say, _I'm here. What of it?_

It took her some considerable thought, but she eventually chose to sit down at the Ravenclaw table. Choosing to sit at the Slytherin table would tip her hand too soon, she didn't really want to sit near the table where her brother was, or was supposed to be, and she wanted to avoid the Hufflepuffs for stealing their thunder. So she sat between a bushy-haired girl with prominent teeth, and a blonde with rather wide, pale eyes. She gave them a smile of greetings, and reached for some toast.

The bushy-haired girl, after a moment, said, "I'm Hermione Granger. It's good to meet you." She had a somewhat bossy air, but Neo let it slide. "And that is Luna Lovegood."

"Hello, Neopolitan. I thought that was a typo of a type of ice cream," Luna, the blonde, introduced herself as. "The Laryngeal Raptors have done a number on you, haven't they?"

Neo blinked, and then stared at the girl. "She's like that," Hermione said, with an air of affectionate exasperation. "Do you prefer Rose or Neopolitan, or…?"

Neo took out her Scroll, and typed out, _Call me Neo if you want_. The girl was a bit bossy, but she hadn't annoyed her as much as Bagman had.

Hermione frowned. "But electronics don't work at Hogwarts!" she protested. Neo shrugged. Then, Hermione peered at the Scroll. "Is that…a mobile phone? A PDA? But that's more advanced than anything I have ever seen."

 _It's a bit of everything. It's a long story_ , Neo typed out. Then, she added, _It's also a painful one_.

Hermione got the hint. Luna then said, "The Aura of your soul is interesting."

Neo froze. How did she…what was that she said?

"And what's with your umbrella?" Hermione asked, touching the lacy areas. "This doesn't feel like lace, more like…is this Kevlar?"

Neo looked at her, and shook her head. _Don't fondle my parasol without my permission, or I will slap you_ , she typed into her Scroll. _It was a gift from someone very dear to me_.

Well, the money used to build it was a gift from Roman, but Neo made it herself. The 'lace' making up the canopy of the parasol was actually something not unlike Kevlar, but much stronger, capable of withstanding most Dust rounds with ease, not to mention the force of a Grimm's attack. It helped that the substance had special Dust lining it to make it stronger and more capable of reflecting energy. She felt it was a work of art, on a par if not more so with those weapons the Hunters made. Though she had to admire the work that went into that Yang girl's shotgauntlets, or Little Red Riding Brat's scythe.

Of course, it wasn't wholly invulnerable, which was why she fled when that bitch Raven Branwen appeared on the scene after sorely trouncing her daughter. And it wasn't made to slow her fall for too long while plummeting through the skies out of control, as Neo learned. That it lasted as long as it did surprised her.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Hermione said. "It's just…I've never seen something like that before. Why do you need an umbrella with a canopy of Kevlar?"

Reluctantly, Neo typed, _My guardian had a lot of enemies. He wanted me to be protected_. No need to tell her about the hidden blade within it.

"And who was your guardian? I heard Charles saying you told him you had amnesia."

 _You wouldn't know him, even if you're a Muggleborn_ , Neo typed. _But he died_.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, Neo," Hermione said sincerely. "Is that why…you're dressed in black?"

Neo merely nodded, pocketing her Scroll and focusing on her breakfast. Thankfully, Hermione didn't push the subject any further, though the gentle, well-meaning pat on the back in sympathy was somewhat unwelcome.

"I remember when my mummy died," Luna murmured. "It's not pleasant when the light and life leaves the eyes of someone you care about."

 _I didn't even get to see that_ , Neo thought. _Just a last diatribe from Roman as he attacked Ruby, only to get chomped by a fucking Grimm. I heard all that over the radio_.

She ate in silence for a few minutes, until she heard Hermione say, "Oh, Professor Lupin! What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for Rose…I mean, Neopolitan."

That familiar voice had Neo almost crying straight away. Lupin had been her rock during her childhood here, treating her far better than Potter or Black ever did. Maybe it was because he knew what it was like to be an outsider. Okay, so too did Black, when he was, for a time, an outcast from the Blacks, though he managed to assume the head of the family after the dust had settled after Voldemort's defeat.

Neo looked up at Lupin, and almost started crying again. He looked so much more careworn than he had been last, more scars, self-inflicted in the throes of his transformation, his clothes looking ever more shabby. She had to fight to keep the recognition out of her eyes…at least for now.

"Neopolitan?" Lupin…no, _Moony_ asked. "I am Remus Lupin, a friend of your mother's. Professor Dumbledore has asked me to escort you to Diagon Alley to fetch a wand and some supplies. He also said, if you wish, you may stay with me…if you want to, of course. If you don't remember me, I understand if you don't want to stay with a strange man."

Neo shrugged, before she stood, and crooked her arm. The invitation to escort her was clear, and Moony, after a moment, took it. "I believe Professor McGonagall will be taking time off from her duties to accompany us, in case you're uncomfortable with going with a man you don't know."

Oh, that hag that was like a much-older Glynda Goodwitch. Who was walking over. Oh, _joy_.

* * *

Welp, it was official. Neo fucking hated Apparition. She could teleport to a lesser degree, it being tied to how her Semblance, Suigetsu, worked(1). And that was much more comfortable, though given how it was tied to her Semblance, maybe that was why. It was rare, after all, that a Semblance turned against a person…

* * *

Back in Remnant, while drowning his sorrows, Qrow Branwen sneezed. Unfortunately, he had a mouthful of whiskey…and sprayed it all over the supine form of his unconscious niece Ruby.

 _Fucking bad luck Semblance_ , Qrow thought to himself bitterly. _And who's talking smack about me behind my back?_

* * *

"Your first time Side-Along Apparating?" McGonagall asked, rather kindly. On Neo's nod, she gave a small but reassuring smile. "It's fine. We have many means of magical transport, but few are comfortable."

Neo grimaced. They had ended up on a platform set aside for those Apparating into Diagon Alley. She allowed her Semblance to remove her illusion, though she kept the cloak on. She had to admit, she had missed the bustle of Diagon Alley, even if she had only been here a couple of times before.

"Wand first, then, I believe," McGonagall said.

They went to Ollivander's first, McGonagall having been given money by Dumbledore from out of some special fund, with Neo having to deal with the attentions of a creepy old man who reminded her a bit of a more mystical version of the shopkeeper of _From Dust Til Dawn_. It took ages for her to get the right wand…and then, it turned out that the wand had a core of a Phoenix feather. Namely, a feather from a Phoenix that gave a feather that ended up in Voldemort's wand.

It was after several hours of shopping for books and supplies that they decided to stop for a lunch. McGonagall looked at Neo. "Miss Neopolitan…I have to say, I'm surprised that given how you were raised by Muggles, you don't seem to wonder at our society."

 _I don't remember anything before a certain age, but I was actually raised by someone aware of your society_ , Neo typed into her Scroll. _I was just taught how to use my magic in other ways_. That little comment should cover up any questions about her Semblance.

"I see," McGonagall said. "Professor Dumbledore told me that you will be receiving tutoring from Professor Lupin in order to catch up with your peers. You have quite a bit to catch up on, but it seems that the claims of you being a Squib were unfounded, or else you wouldn't be able to use a wand. Our world does not look kindly on Squibs."

 _I know_ , she typed into her Scroll.

"Are you willing to be tutored by Professor Lupin, then? I can understand if a teenaged girl would be wary of working under an older man who is not linked to any institution."

Neo faked a little hesitation, before she shrugged. _I was taught how to defend myself_ , she typed in. _I may not look like much, but I can neuter a grown man thrice my size. I can handle him if things go sour_.

Moony shook his head. "I promise you, Neo…it won't come to that. But do you have a last name? What about this man who raised you?"

After a moment, Neo nodded. _Very well. Call me Neopolitan Torchwick. Speaking of which, do they have Neapolitan ice cream here?_

* * *

As it turned out, they did, and very lovely too. She had all but forgotten Florean Fortescue's ice cream shop, and the Neapolitan they sold there was to die for. It brought back a memory of one of the few times she had been brought here by her father. In fact, the last time he did so was shortly before taking her to the Department of Mysteries. Which made the memory somewhat bittersweet, but weren't they all?

Soon, McGonagall took her leave, and Neo allowed herself to be taken by Moony to his home. Which turned out to be a relatively isolated cottage. Neo sighed. It seemed that she was about to undertake a risky gamble. While she wouldn't tell Moony what she was like, and she would have to see his reaction before she confessed what had happened to her, she was going to reveal something else.

At the door, Moony paused, and then said, "I have something I need to tell you, Neopolitan, I'm…I'm a…"

Neo rolled her eyes, and typed into her Scroll. _Yes. I know, Moony. You're a werewolf_.

Moony blinked at the message, and then stared at her. "But Dumbledore said…you have amnesia! How can you possibly know that name? Or that I'm a…Rose?"

 _No. I'm not Rose Harriet Potter anymore. My name is Neopolitan Torchwick. And I remember_ _ **everything**_ …

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, that just happened. Neo's taking a risk, taking Remus into her confidence…but maybe she will have her most stalwart ally on Earth.**

 **I'm actually considering an image song for Neo, as I don't think there is one for her on the _RWBY_ soundtrack. It's a tossup between ****_Cherry Bomb_** **by the Runaways, and** ** _Not Your Kind of People_** **by Garbage.**

 **Review-answering time! Many of you seemed to object to or be confused with how I portrayed James Potter and Sirius Black, even after I clearly stated in both the summary for the story and the foreword that I would be bashing them. Allow me to elucidate.**

 **In my prior WBWL stories, I've always bashed those two. The reason for it is that I am extrapolating in a not unreasonable manner their characters. Both of them were bullies during their time at Hogwarts, and Sirius does do some questionable things even in canon (leaving aside sending Snape to get murdered by a transformed Lupin, which could have ended in Lupin's execution for being a Dark Creature, there's his treatment of Kreacher, rather hypocritical given his earlier remarks about being able to tell the character of a man by how he treats his inferiors). I like Sirius, but I also think there's too much of a bully, as well as the dark nature of his family, in him.**

 **I don't really have that high an opinion of James Potter either. In the flashbacks we see, even through the prejudiced eyes of Snape, that he was an entitled bully who kept making unwelcome advances to Lily. And some bullies never grow out of these tendencies. Now, if I ever did a WBWL story where LILY survived, I would not bash her. There's a prejudice there, I'm sure, as there are many characters who are often bashed in fanfic that I do not (the Weasleys being a case in point, for example).**

 **But keep in mind that James Potter, while he would enjoy the pleasures of the Muggle world where he could get them, was also a privileged Pureblood. He may not have been like the Death Eaters, but he would sneer in contempt at Muggles and Muggleborns anyway, viewing them mostly as breeding stock, if you're going down the route of bashing him anyway.**

 **Anyway, that is how I am portraying James and Sirius in this fic. As I have stated before, if you don't like it, don't read, and don't bother leaving a review. I get sick and tired of people ignoring these requests.**

 **In addition, Neo is NOT going back to Remnant. She has nothing left for her there now that Roman's dead. I even had Neo thinking that earlier. Pay attention.**

 **Battlesny** **: Actually, Charles' mark is an 'equals' sign. That is: '='. That was what led Dumbledore to, erroneously, name him the Boy Who Lived ('he shall mark him as his equal', as the prophecy goes). This has been done in other WBWL fics, I am not the first to do so. No runes are involved.**

 **whitetigerwolf** **: In a way, you have yourself to blame, given your** ** _RWBY_** **fics and challenges. But I'm glad you enjoyed it.**

 **Guest 1** **: Neo won't be using an electrolarynx like Sawyer…though I did post a challenge earlier today on the forums of DZ2, whitetigerwolf, and Lupine Horror…where Roman and Neo, deciding to cut their losses, use an artifact to travel to Roanapur. I also removed the line in question about Neo seeing James in her nightmares (thanks for spotting that). Finally, I may just do that regarding Neo unlocking people's Auras. Albeit of those she can trust.**

 **1\. While working on** ** _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_** **, I hit upon this name for Neo's Semblance. I named it for Aizen's Zanpakuto from** ** _Bleach_** **. I mean, seriously, doesn't Neo's Semblance and Aizen's illusions have a similar concept behind them?**


	6. Chapter 5: Aftershocks

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **AFTERSHOCKS**

Sirius Black, the head of the House of Black, was nursing a small headache and a double Firewhiskey. Thankfully, Prongs didn't have to go to work today. Hell, as a Pureblood Auror, James Potter could pick his working hours. And Sirius had retired early from being a Hit-Wizard.

"So, according to Bagman, the mute has somehow been drawn back by the Goblet of Fire," Sirius said flatly. "I'd question his sanity, but he wasn't drunk when he came to you, was he, Prongs?"

James shook his head. "No. I headed to Hogwarts this morning. I pretended to row with Dumbledore about Charlie being in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but he managed to direct the conversation to her. Apparently she has no memory of before she was six, and claims to have been raised by someone called Roman Torchwick. That name sound familiar to you at all, Padfoot?"

Sirius shook his head. "I'd suggest checking the files at the DMLE…discreetly."

"Maybe, but he might be a Muggle, or a Muggleborn. She claimed she was thrown out of an airplane," James muttered. "That's when she was summoned by the Goblet of Fire. She uses some Muggle device to type out whatever she wants to speak. I didn't think those things could work at Hogwarts. I spoke to Charlie, and I found out a few more things about her. If she is faking having amnesia, she's putting on a good act."

"Is she still at Hogwarts?" Sirius asked.

"No. McGonagall and the werewolf took her to Diagon Alley. Apparently Dumbledore hired the werewolf to try and teach her as many spells as he can before the First Task," James said, sneering contemptuously at the mention of their former friend. "So for the moment, we can't find out whether she's lying or not. It's not like I can just sic some Aurors on the werewolf."

"What about that Umbridge woman? You know how much she hates werewolves," Sirius pointed out.

"She also hates us, remember? Poisonous toad bitch," James retorted. "She'd be suspicious of anything I send her way. That being said, why the hell did the mute's name come from the Goblet of Fire?"

"Hell if I know," Sirius said. "It just means that we've got to deal with her again. The question is how."

"And if. If she really does have amnesia, should we deal with her? Dumbledore's already suspicious, I'm sure of it. If we bump her off, he's going to put two and two together, even if there's no proof we did it. Anyway, who'd take the word of a mute Squib over us?"

"We're not liked, Prongs, as much as I hate to admit it. All it'd take is a damned good scandal for Skeeter or Malfoy's morons to sink their teeth into, and we'd haemorrhage support. And your daughter could be that scandal! Yes, killing her at the wrong time will cause the very same crisis we're trying to avert, and if she's actually an amnesiac, then we can rest easy. But the thing is, anything thrown through the Veil isn't supposed to come back! This is a disaster in the making, Prongs, and we had better hope that she doesn't remember, and never does! Or we are more screwed than a Veela at a buck's party…"

* * *

It was shortly afterwards. It took Neo some prodding from Moony (and an assurance he knew Occlumency) to tell him what happened, at least how she disappeared, and she needed to trip him up with her Pernicious Parasol to prevent him from storming out of the cottage to attack Potter and Black. He reluctantly stopped when she explained it.

 _If you went out and accused them of attempted filicide, who would actually believe you? They wouldn't accept the word of someone who was only six at the time, or a werewolf. No, I will deal with them when the time comes_.

Moony eventually calmed down, though he still looked pissed. "But how did you survive going through the Veil?"

Neo shrugged, before typing, _I know where I ended up. Another world, Remnant. That's where I met my big brother, Roman Torchwick. He wasn't always on the right side of the law. But that world is even worse than this one. Leaving aside wars, tensions between humans and people with animal ears or tails called Faunus, you have the creatures of Grimm. They're monsters drawn to negative emotions, and are hard to kill, even with magic_. To make her point, Neo clicked a button on her umbrella, allowing the blade to slide out. _Outside of major cities, survival is an issue. During a job with Roman, we were attacked by Grimm. Roman was eaten by one, and I, well, I was forced off an airship. I was falling to my death when the Goblet of Fire got me_.

She was being _very_ economical with the truth, of course. No need to tell Moony that Roman and her had been involved in, well, terrorism, and allied with the White Fang. Better to tell half-truths for the most part than to lie outright.

Moony gave her a hug. "Rose…no, Neo. I'm sorry I couldn't help you. I really am. If only I…if only I…"

Neo just gently stroked Moony's back. He at least cared. It hurt her that she was going to have to manipulate him, because he was probably too damned principled for her own good. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe spending so long as an outcast because of his condition might help.

After a while, Moony broke off, and smiled painfully at her. "We've got a lot to catch up on. Well, long story short, part of the reason why Dumbledore chose me, aside from our connection, is that, well, I haven't been doing too well lately with money. Few people want to hire a werewolf, especially once some legislation was passed through the Wizengamot. Dumbledore hired me last year as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, but my condition was exposed, and I was forced to resign."

Neo scowled. Moony was no Fenrir Greyback. "Anyway," Moony continued, "Dumbledore, after hearing of your return, decided to choose me to teach you. The man has made many mistakes before, but he has done me many favours, and he is paying me a tutor's salary to get you up to speed with your spells. We're going to focus on DADA skills like combat and defence spells, as well as other useful spells."

Neo nodded. While she wasn't exactly looking forward to spending too much time in this hovel, Moony had been there for her, and she would gladly accept his help. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to deal with him to stop him from talking…

* * *

At Hogwarts, near the Black Lake, Luna was whistling as she worked on something, Hermione looking on. "So, what is that thing?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I just thought it sad that Neo needed to type something in with a keyboard. So, I thought I'd give her something more interesting to communicate with. I got the idea watching Looney Tunes cartoons."

"…You watch Looney Tunes?" Hermione asked.

"Daddy figured out how to receive TV signals and project them inside a crystal ball," Luna said with a shrug. "We decided, just in case, to pay the licence fee, so that the Muggles don't get suspicious."

Well, Hermione couldn't argue with that. After an argument with Charles Potter and Ron Weasley after First Year, she found herself without friends in Gryffindor, and few in Ravenclaw. Luna had accepted Hermione for who she was, and Hermione had learned to enjoy the company of the eccentric girl. She proved to be Luna's shield against bullies, especially those within her own house: Marietta Edgecomb was a frequent offender.

Luna was a fantasist, something that tended to aggravate Hermione. But the girl was also a good friend, and very smart when she wasn't making up non-existent creatures. She was a better lateral thinker than Hermione, the bushy-haired girl had to admit.

"So where did Neo come from? I mean, if she is Rose Harriet Potter, what happened to her?"

Luna shrugged. "Maybe she ended up in another world. Or in the future. Where else did that electronic thing she was using come from?"

That sounded stupid at first blush, but Hermione was fairly certain that, unless some research organisation like DARPA or some element within, say, MI5, MI6 or the CIA developed something like it without her knowing, Luna's nonsensical statement actually made some small sense. It was still fantastical, nonsensical, and frankly barmy, but it did look like something from the future.

There was also the fact that she seemed unfazed by magic and a magic castle. When she first arrived, she looked somewhat irritated and annoyed. But not as confused as Hermione would have thought her to be. And electronics shouldn't work at Hogwarts. And yet, that device did. It seemed to be a ridiculously compact mobile phone with a touch screen.

Well, maybe she should ask Neo when she came back to Hogwarts.

"I actually got some of the idea for how this worked from the Weasley Twins," Luna said as she continued her work. "They heard about the Marauders' Map, and tried to find them. They found out that the Marauders were James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Managed to pick their brains on how to create their own version of the Marauders' Map. Well, Remus Lupin helped, anyway, when he was teaching DADA last year. They tried approaching James Potter and Sirius Black, but they weren't so ready to give up their secrets."

"How does the Marauders' Map have anything to do with this?" Hermione asked.

"Animated writing, based on thoughts of a sort. In a way, it's mildly psychic, able to pick up on thoughts passed through a magical field. What's more, it comes with its own pocket dimension, so it can be pulled out of nowhere if needed."

"Well, why not do something like an electrolarynx?" Hermione suggested.

"Because it has no style, no grace, and would make her voice sound like a Cyberman," Luna responded readily. "And yes, I watch _Doctor Who_ as well. Anyway, this has style."

"Well, I suppose Wile E Coyote had style…"

* * *

Snape scowled, rubbing at the once-faded Dark Mark. It had started to darken again, and with it, the pain came back as well. For now, it felt like a bruise. It would get worse, he knew. It was a bad sign, that Voldemort was gathering his powers once more.

And of all the things to happen, not only was the Boy Who Lived entered into this Tournament, but also the daughter, who claimed to have no memory, calling herself Neopolitan. But Snape was no fool. The girl, oddly enough, seemed to have an innate Occlumency ability, as if there was a mist shrouding her mind(1). His few attempts at probing her during the meeting with Dumbledore didn't work.

Still, he sensed something there. He could sense the faintest of reactions to various names, reactions that suggested that her claims of amnesia were bullshit. Only a master Legilimencer like himself would be able to pick up on even that much. And while Dumbledore might not have noticed it, Snape was sure that there was something of a hardened killer about Neopolitan.

Dumbledore had no idea, as usual. He had the whole thing about good intentions and the like going on, blind as a bat to people's true agendas. Always believing the best of people. But Snape knew that Potter had more than a few skeletons in his closet, and one of them just tumbled out. No, _pulled_ out, by whoever put her name into the Goblet of Fire. And this particular skeleton had a major grudge against James Charlus Potter. If she still had her memories, that was.

Snape felt ambivalent about that. On the one hand, it was always a good thing to see Potter targeted, and he wished he had died instead of Lily. But on the other hand…well, he never liked either Potter children, seeing it as an affront to the love he held for Lily, a reminder that she had spread her legs for another man she hated. He suspected Amortentia, but could never prove it. After all, the Golden Boy of Gryffindor could do no wrong. And he couldn't help but notice a narrowing of her eyes on seeing him…and not just because of his snark.

So, what to do about it, he wondered?

One thing he did know was that he detested being forced to serve two masters. Between Voldemort's insanity, and Dumbledore's stubborn insistence on forgiveness, Snape was caught between Scylla and Charybdis. He'd rather be shot of both if he could. But he still had that life debt, to help out Potter and his crotchspawn.

Then, an idea occurred to him. The life debt had been fairly specific in its wording. While he wasn't allowed to harm Potter or his offspring…or allow Voldemort to harm them if he could reasonably stop it…what about someone else harming them? Someone not in the Dark Lord's employ? Would helping one Potter destroy the others cause the life debt to kill him? Or would it free him from such onerous obligations?

A faint smile touched Snape's lips, and it wasn't a pleasant one. That was the advantage of being a Slytherin. One looked for all the loopholes and outs that you could find…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, Potter and Black are plotting, so is Snape, Neo's confessed some of the truth to Remus (which may bite her in the arse), and Luna's up to mischief. What next, then?**

 **Review-answering time!** **Reishin Amara** **: Hell, even Neo being in the events of** ** _Fate/Zero_** **or** ** _Fate/Stay Night_** **. She'd be a troll on at least Kirei's level, if not Zelretch's.**

 **waytodawn0** **: Actually, there may very well be a surprise appearance, one I only thought of partway through writing the next chapter, and after discussing it with whitetigerwolf, I've decided to go with my whim and include this character. When they'll appear, well, I don't know, but it may be as early as the end of the next chapter. I originally didn't intend to include any other** ** _RWBY_** **characters, though.**

 **Hikari Nova** **: Actually, that's Neon Katt's image song, apparently.**

 **Battlesny** **: You have a point about** ** _Reborn!_** **fics, but Nana is usually portrayed as being neglectful and an idiot rather than outright abusive (calling her son '** ** _Dame_** **Tsuna' aside), and that's not far from her canon self anyway. I have come across a number of** ** _Naruto_** **fics where Kushina survived (and Minato didn't), and she abused or abandoned Naruto.**

 **1\. Neo's unlocked Aura, as well as her illusion-based Semblance, is giving her some Occlumency. We'll elaborate on that later…**


	7. Chapter 6: The Weighing of the Wands

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **THE WEIGHING OF THE WANDS**

It was not long afterwards that a summons came from Hogwarts to engage in the Weighing of the Wands, and Neo had to admit, she was a little grateful. It meant a brief but welcome respite from being taught all those spells.

Not that she was truly complaining. Moony was a great teacher, and whoever outed him as a werewolf was a fool. Moony told her he never found out who did it. He suspected Snape at first, given the man's desire for teaching DADA and the grudge the man held, but the man looked annoyed and frustrated after the announcement. Not in any way that would suggest that he didn't want Moony to be outed as a werewolf, but rather, that he didn't get to do so himself.

Neo also began creating designs for a new weapon, to use in conjunction with the Pernicious Parasol. While she didn't have the resources here on Earth to make a Remnant-standard weapon, she could still do something relatively simple. She wanted to create her own version of her big brother's Melodic Cudgel, his cane-gun. She had often fooled around with it enough to know how it worked, and she had this notion that she could hide her wand in a cane, and modify the cane to act in a manner not unlike the Melodic Cudgel. Then, it would be the best cane-wand in the world, bar none!

* * *

At Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy sneezed.

* * *

What it meant was being able to incorporate long-range attacks into her style. She had done practise fights with the Melodic Cudgel, when Roman could be persuaded to give it up, and could wield both at once (Roman had jokingly protested that 'no one should have that much power(1)!'), but she'd have to work now to have both put into her fighting style. The lack of Dust on this world didn't help matters, but she could cope.

And then she needed was a bowler hat. Roman had once said it looked better on her than it did on him(2), albeit jokingly, and she hadn't worn one out of deference to him…but now that he was dead, and she was back on Earth, she might just wear one. As a tribute to him. She needed to find a good haberdasher soon.

Of course, she also needed to think about her plans that weren't of a sartorial nature. Her short-term plan? Kill James Potter and Sirius Black. Her long-term plan? Create her own criminal empire in Magical Britain, using what she learned on her big brother's knee, metaphorically speaking. In all likelihood, she would be meeting the sperm donor later today, as he probably would be at the Weighing of the Wands. She had to ensure that she had every bit of self-control to make sure they kept buying her amnesia story. She hoped Moony would do the same.

And how to kill them? It needed to be done in a way that didn't come back to bite her. So, some sort of Muggle method, then? As she thought before, anyway.

After this, she intended to ask Moony for a Portkey to Diagon Alley to do some occasional shopping. At first, it'd have to be of other people's wallets: she had become a good pickpocket on Remnant before Roman found her, and she didn't want to steal Moony's money. Then, it would be going into Knockturn for things.

She had to admit, looking at Hogwarts after Moony Apparated them here, she actually preferred Beacon. A shame it had to be destroyed as part of Cinder's plan (albeit one that had the pale hand of Salem behind it), but hey, that's what you got when you were part of a group of psychos dancing on the strings of a being who might well have been the leader of the Grimm. Neo had her suspicions, and it was undeniable that Salem was scary.

Unbidden, she thought back to Roman's words to Ruby when she demanded to know why he and Neo were attacking Vale and Beacon. She demanded for him to tell her what he had to gain. And Neo remembered his reply, even as she held the blade within her Pernicious Parasol to the girl's throat.

" _Wrong question, Red! It's less about what I gain, and more about what I can't afford to lose! Gambling man or not, I know when not to take a bet, and the people who hired me, like it or not, are gonna change the world! You can't stop them, and I certainly can't stop them, so you know what they say. If you can't beat them_ …"

And that was the point when Little Red Riding Brat had opened up the Pernicious Parasol. Neo had to admit grudgingly, it was a clever trick. Ruby was like a cockroach, along with her team, and Neo wasn't even sure whether what happened at Beacon would have killed her off.

Still, what's done is done. Neo was no longer on Remnant, and without Roman, she had no real desire to go back, even if she could. Salem, Cinder, Ozpin, Ironwood, the Grimm, Vale, Atlas, Mistral, Menagerie, White Fang…they could all go tear each other to pieces for all she cared. Hell, she hoped they did, just out of sheer spite for what happened.

Though she missed using her Scroll to its full potential. Thankfully, not only did Moony have electricity in his cottage, but the charger for her Scroll was actually compatible with a British electrical socket. Though it seemed to be running rather sluggishly lately. Maybe that virus Cinder got from that smug twat Watts infected it. Watts felt contempt for even allies, even those who were remotely competent. Neo, for her part, had wanted to shave that smug prick's moustache…or just carve off the entire top lip. And that was without going into that psycho Tyrian. Neo would admit that she was a sadist, but one should have a sense of style and élan. Tyrian did not, just a fanatical devotion to Salem.

Her devotion to Roman wasn't fanatical, but fraternal. Their loyalty was a bond of family, one that they hadn't meant to form, but was far stronger than any of blood.

So engrossed was she in her thoughts as they walked through the corridors of Hogwarts, she hadn't realised they had reached their destination until Remus rapped on the door. They entered, finding the three Champions, minus her brother, present, along with Karkaroff and Maxime. A photographer was bustling around with Bagman, as was a blonde, rather garishly-dressed woman who seemed to be a reporter. She noticed Neo and strode over. "Ah, Rose Potter…or would you prefer Neopolitan?"

Neo looked at Moony, who said, "She prefers to be known as Neopolitan Torchwick. She doesn't remember anything before she disappeared. Neo, this is Rita Skeeter, a journalist working for _The Daily Prophet_. She's something of a sensationalist."

Skeeter smiled thinly. "A rather strong word, Mr Lupin."

"Actually, I was being rather restrained," Moony said. "I'm afraid you can't interview Neo. She's mute, and I'm not sure your Quick-Quotes Quill will work then, even if she types out her responses."

Skeeter shrugged. "Well, just the thought of the Boy Who Lived's sister participating is newsworthy enough, Mr Lupin. And I do have sources who are, more or less, reliable."

So, a muckraker and a yellow journalist, writing sensationalist bullshit. Moony had mentioned Rita Skeeter before. Often accompanied by strong words and a growl that sounded like Moony wanted to come out to play…and a strong attempt at restraining himself from swearing. Aside from her, the only people he hated more were Snape, her sperm donor, Sirius Black, Voldemort and his followers, and a rather vile woman by the name of Dolores Umbridge. Most if not all of those names had made it to her little list of people to violently murder. But that was for another time.

The door opened, and _they_ came in. The Brat Who Lived, and the sperm donor. Neo quickly schooled her features, setting up an illusion that had her looking calmly just in case she couldn't manage it with her face alone. And sure enough, the sperm donor's gaze settled on Moony (and she didn't fail to notice the narrowing of his eyes and the sneer on his lips, even if they were there only briefly), before settling on her own. She tilted her head quizzically, not because she didn't remember them, but because she wanted to seem like that. Play the role of a harmless amnesiac, and let them show their back to you…before you stuck a knife in it.

Thankfully, the sperm donor seemed to decide not to talk to her, especially once Skeeter scuttled over. But she made an odd bit of eye contact with Charles, who met her eyes, and then winked. Once more, she had to school her features, this time to hide shock. There was something undeniably conspiratorial about that wink, something that said, _I know you're acting. I'll play along_. Or maybe it was, _You don't fool me_. Either way, it was pretty bloody unnerving.

Skeeter and the Potters were on the verge of an argument, when finally Dumbledore, along with Ollivander and that bureaucratic turd Crouch, entered. Ollivander was here to apparently check on the quality of the wands. He did Fleur's first, and then Cedric's. Neo had to bite back a laugh when Cedric proudly proclaimed that he polished his wand regularly. Then again, some of the attachment people had to weapons back home…Neo had remembered glimpses of Ruby cuddling her scythe-rifle like it was a teddy bear…or even a lover. And there was Roman's attachment to his Melodic Cudgel…though Neo couldn't talk, given her own attachment to her Pernicious Parasol.

Neo went next, with Ollivander scanning it and musing about it. After handing it back, he then checked Krum (who cared whether it was a Gregorovitch or whoever the fuck that was?), and then her brother's wand. Apparently it was a Potter family heirloom wand. The sperm donor proudly proclaimed (well, bragged) that Charles could wield any wand they had in the vault, and while Bagman and Skeeter's cameraman looked awed at this proclamation, Neo was gratified to see that the reactions of the others present ranged from a look that said, 'you're full of shit' (even Dumbledore had that look on his face, albeit mixed with his habitual twinkle in his eyes) to out-and-out contempt at such blatant bragging (the two foreign Champions and their Headmasters, along with Crouch and Moony, were cases in point).

Really, the sperm donor had only gotten worse since she ended up in Remnant. Bragging, strutting, preening…he was a glory hound who cared only about bathing in glory and what he could do to get more fame and power. While Roman, admittedly, had a tendency to strut and preen himself, he at least cared about Neo…

* * *

It was shortly thereafter, when the Weighing of the Wands (and the photo op afterwards) was done, that Neo had a rather unusual encounter. As Moony led her out, they were intercepted. Neo recognised the students as being the two Ravenclaws she had met before, Hermione and Luna. "Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood…what can I do for you?" Moony asked.

"Luna wanted to give Neo a little present," Hermione said.

The dotty blonde nodded, and skipped merrily over, and handed Neo what looked like a walking stick, almost like the Melodic Cudgel. Neo fought down a wave of sorrow and anger, before she thought, _What is this?_

Suddenly, part of the stick, the other end, unfolded, becoming something like a sign. And there, imprinted on it, were the words, _What is this?_

Which were soon replaced by the words, showing her thoughts, _What the actual hell?_

"I call it the Coyote Caper," Luna said with a smile. "It's a sign that allows you to voice your thoughts on it. It has a link with your mind, and now that you've touched it, it has bonded with you. You can even store it in a pocket dimension to summon it at will. Rather like a cartoon character. It's even tough enough that you can hit a dragon over the head with it without damaging the sign…though I don't think it will damage the dragon. Tricky bit of runes and charms work, that, but it was worth it."

"Tricky?!" Moony yelped. "That's way beyond even NEWT levels!"

"Well, we were inspired by the Map _you_ created," Luna said.

After a moment, Neo held it up with a grin, displaying the message, _Mama_ _ **like.**_ _Mama like a_ _ **LOT.**_ _Thanks!_

"Oh, don't thank me yet. It even has a little storage compartment for your wand, and is made of a magic material which can conduct spells. So it can act as a wand."

Neo looked at her in awe, before saying, via her new sign, _Is it weird if I say that I want to marry you?_

"Not at all. And if you want to have children, there are potions for that," Luna said blithely. As Hermione and Moony choked in surprise, Luna continued, "Well, believe it or not, King Arthur was actually a woman disguised as a man, and, well, in order to make an heir, Merlin decided to Mickey Finn her with a potion of his devising(3)…"

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION, LUNA!" Hermione shrieked.

"Hermione, we're Ravenclaws. Until the walls start sprouting eyes and tentacles, and our brains start leaking out through our noses, there's no such thing," Luna said blithely. "Anyway, it's a gender-changing potion." She looked at Moony. "Tell me the Marauders didn't use such things, and I'd think you'd be lying."

"…Fifth Rule of Marauder Club: We do NOT ever talk about the Girls' Locker Room Infiltration Incident of '74," Remus said flatly. "Padfoot was calling my 'little furry problem' my time of the month. About time he found out what it was like from the other side of the fence. Not that it did him any good."

"…Is the First Rule of Marauder Club that you do NOT talk about Marauder Club?" Luna asked.

"And the Second Rule."

"…That explains so much, and yet so little," Hermione muttered, having heard about the exploits of the Marauders from the Weasley Twins.

Neo tested the sign a few times, before finding a mental trigger to bring it in and out of the pocket dimension. _Mama REALLY like_ , she thought to herself. It saved having to type things into the Scroll or pre-select answers, which was a little laborious. She looked at Luna. Hmm, smart, thinks outside of the box, and non-judgemental. Had she found a possible minion?

Well, it was a start. Yes indeed it was…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Neo's not only met her father again, but has noted something wrong about Charles. Oh, and she's gotten a sign. Yes, it's the one from** ** _RWBY Chibi_** **, which was what inspired it, and I am heartened so many of you guessed correctly what Luna and Hermione were working on.**

 **Also, none of you have gotten the correct character I'm going to bring in. But that's okay. It's meant to be a surprised. I thought they'd come in during this chapter, at the end, but I thought it better to end with the whole sign thing…though there is a tiny bit of foreshadowing as to the how. And to the who.**

 **Incidentally, this story will also be updated with the upcoming early Christmas Present update.**

 **And there's some stories that some of my longtime readers will be excited are being updated. One of them hasn't been updated for a year, and another hasn't been updated for a year and a half. Namely, my _Hellsing_ crossover _Haemophilia_ and my _Final Fantasy XII_ crossover _Nitimur in Vetitum_ respectively. Plus, for those who have been following my stories in _The Cauldron_ , I will be posting my first _Darkstalkers_ crossover, _Never Tear Us Apart_.**

 ** **For you _RWBY_ fans who have seen my stories in _The Cauldron_ , don't despair. _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_ is STILL being worked on, and may be posted sooner than you think.****

 **Review-answering time!** **Gabriel Herrol** **: Nope. She's going to do the deed herself. Though as you'll see in the next chapter, she'll have some help.**

 **Reishin Amara** **: Which** ** _Final Fantasy_** **game, though? Some she wouldn't be suitable for, and others…well, let's just say I think she'd fit in scarily well in SeeD. I mean, when you think about it, Garden and the Hunter Academies are pretty bloody similar. Actually, maybe I shouldn't be surprised, given Monty Oum created** ** _Dead Fantasy_** **…**

 **hakon2feb** **: About a Lovegood founding Acme? That makes WAY too much sense. As for Neo's Semblance, while I have no plans to expand on it (it's already pretty fucking useful), I won't say no to doing so.**

 **OBSERVER01** **: Given that this is set in 1994/1995, there'd only be the first seven Doctors to choose from. And while Luna loves the character of the Fourth Doctor (also Hermione's favourite, though as she grew up during the Fifth Doctor's era, she holds a torch for him too), she (along with her father and, obviously, Dumbledore) love the Sixth Doctor's coat. That's a minority view: it's basically an eye-raping coat that looks like a rainbow had diarrhoea.**

 **1\. This comes from an image from Monty Oum's Twitter, showing a delighted Neo dual-wielding her umbrella and the Melodic Cudgel, while Roman protests pretty much the same thing.**

 **2\. This actually happens in one of the episodes of** ** _RWBY Chibi_** **. Not only that, but Neo was apparently based on a cosplayer doing her variation of a female Roman.**

 **3\. This is, of course, a reference to the backstory of Saber, aka Arturia, in** ** _Fate/Stay Night_** **, with some details tweaked. But yes, Arturia got turned into a man (I hope: futa isn't my thing, even if other people like it).**


	8. Chapter 7: S is for

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **S IS FOR…**

"I can't tell, Padfoot," James Potter confessed as he sat in the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place with his fellow Marauder. "Either the mute brat really is amnesic, or she's a damned good actor. The werewolf was glaring at me, but you know how protective he was of her. I did try some Legilimency, but she's got…something."

"Occlumency?"

"Well, that's the thing. It didn't feel like any Occlumency barrier I've come across. Too diffuse, like walking through a fog. I only did a brief probe. I didn't want to get caught. And I've gone through my contacts and asked discreetly about anyone called Torchwick. I've also looked through records, even the White Pages. No Muggles with that name, and there's one family, no known links to crime, working as a purveyor of magical lights in Diagon. No Roman. It may be that 'Roman Torchwick' is a pseudonym. That umbrella of hers, though…the way she holds it, I think it might be a weapon."

"Is there a wand in it?"

"No, Ollivander sold her a wand. I heard that it was one Fawkes gave a feather to," James Potter said. "I only heard that because I overheard the old goat and Ollivander talking. But how can she have magic? She barely had decent reserves left before the ritual, and being a mute…"

"Don't ask me. All that means is that she's even more dangerous, amnesia or no amnesia. She must be able to cast nonverbal magic, and you and I know how difficult that can be, even with the basics. With the werewolf teaching her…if she does remember, we're going to be in a heap of trouble." Sirius sighed. "Let's wait and see for the moment. If we're lucky, Lupin might forget his Wolfsbane one full moon and tear the little bitch apart, or else infect her."

"I wouldn't count on it, Padfoot. You haven't seen her. She may not remember us…and she may look cute and petite…but she has the look of a killer to her. Unless we find something, best not to tickle that particular sleeping dragon…"

* * *

It was some days later, and Neo was enjoying her new sign. The name 'Coyote Caper' actually suited it quite well, thanks to some half-remembered Wile E Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons she had watched before the sperm donor chucked her through the Veil. On Moony's suggestion, she started corresponding by owl post with Luna and Hermione. Both girls seemed glad of the correspondence. In addition, Moony had also suggested that the Weasley Twins might be good correspondents. He had written letters to them before, and while they had become disillusioned with Potter and Black after a time, Fred and George maintained good relationships with Moony, and he was even helping them with R&D for the joke shop that they wanted to open. They had even persuaded him to become the face of their shop by working for him when they finally opened it.

Through the Weasley Twins, Hermione and Luna, Neo learned more about the political landscape within Hogwarts. Charlie, it seemed, had been something of a mass of contradictions. While doubtless heroic most of the time, neither Hermione nor Luna had good opinions of him. Charlie's biggest allies were Ginny and Ron Weasley, though apparently the latter had broken off ties with Charles. Apparently he was jealous that Charles had, in his eyes, cheated his way in, and hadn't told him how. Ron wasn't actually bad, just an immature and insensitive fool.

The same couldn't be said about Charlie. Hermione and Luna had noticed odd things about the Boy Who Lived. And during an incident in First Year, Charlie had tormented her alongside Ron, causing her to be in a toilet at the time when a troll came in. And there were times when he seemed attention-hungry. But other times, he was good, and the only thing that seemed to worry them were little things setting off a vague instinct of unease.

Neo shrugged at the thought of such things. It was the sperm donor and the mutt that bore watching, not her brother. Well, not as much: she couldn't dismiss such concerns out of hand, and she shared the same feeling that there was something subtly wrong with her brother…though she would chalk that up to him being spoilt rotten.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that was wrong. Her Scroll was getting increasingly sluggish, and her getting the Coyote Caper was probably in the nick of time. Silently, she cursed Arthur Watts' name: he probably thought it funny to infect Roman and Neo's Scrolls with something that would activate once they had outlived their usefulness. Or maybe Atlas had managed to use some sort of counter-virus as a retaliatory measure. Okay, it wasn't as bad as, say, being injured or killed, but still…bloody annoying.

Every now and then, the screen would go black, and the letter S would come up. Occasionally, it would be followed by an A and an L, before the Scroll crashed, and she had to reboot it. Sometimes, she'd hear a soundbite, like a syllable spoken by someone, a sibilant syllable, stuttering, just before the crash.

It was shortly after one such crash, on the weekend, that they had a visitor. As Neo snarled silently and tried to fiddle with her phone's settings after rebooting it, Moony went to answer the door to the cottage. She heard him say, in surprise, "You!"

"Yes, me," came a distinctive, nasal tone. "I'm here to see the girl, Lupin."

"And why do you want to see her, Severus?"

"I would say that it is none of your business, but…I hate you less than Potter or Black. I just want to discuss a few things."

Neo's eyes narrowed as Moony reluctantly showed Severus Snape in. She had to admit, for all that greasy hair, the way his robes billowed out as he walked was pretty stylish. Probably the only bit of style the greasy-haired prick had.

Snape looked down at her, his gaze thoughtful and calculating. Probably one of the few actual true Slytherins in Hogwarts, if what Moony had told her was any indication. But this was also the one, her father claimed, had been responsible for leaking that damnable prophecy, about how a child of the Potters would have the power to vanquish Voldemort. He was, albeit indirectly, responsible for her mother's murder. So she met his gaze with a cold look in her mismatched eyes, and a smirk on her lips.

"Neopolitan Torchwick…or should that be Rose Harriet Potter?" A sardonic smile touched his lips. In the silence that followed, he then said, "The man with whom you are cursed to share half of your genes with may be a barely passable Legilimens, but he is no expert. And while your Occlumency barriers prevent me from seeing any memories, I can still feel reactions and feelings through them. You reacted to your birth…huh."

This last utterance came when Neo, who had one hand on her Pernicious Parasol, had swung it up, activating the blade as she did so, and resting it against his neck. She had used one of her illusions to cover it up, and he didn't notice until she shattered it. He looked deceptively calm, but there was a faint glitter of fear in those dark eyes.

With her other hand, she held up the Coyote Caper. _You told Voldemort about the prophecy. You sicced him onto us. Tell me, why shouldn't you suffer a bad case of 'cut yourself shaving' here and now?_

Snape stiffened, before saying tightly, "I begged the Dark Lord to spare Lily."

 _And us?_ Snape didn't respond. _Your silence is damning_ , she said, pressing the blade harder to his neck.

"And if you kill me in a werewolf's house, who would get the blame?" Snape said. "I may have to teach dunderheads in my class, but I am not one myself! I would have thought you weren't one. Clearly that was a mistake."

 _Got a mouth on you for a man with a blade to his throat_ , Neo said.

"Enough!" Moony snapped. "Neo…he's right. If you kill him…and I'm not sure how disturbed I should be at how willing you are to kill…well, if his last known whereabouts are here, they'd probably give me a summary execution."

The snide smile on Snape's face said it all, and Neo was tempted to open his carotid artery anyway. So, she took the blade away from his neck, but rested it on his shoulder as a reminder. _Why did you come here? Blackmail?_

Snape scoffed. "Mutual gain. While I don't know the circumstances of what happened to you, I am sure you have considerable anger towards Potter and Black. We share the same targets, Neopolitan. But there is another who has interest in you."

Neo looked at him through narrowed eyes, wondering if he could get to the point already. And sure enough, he did, rolling up his sleeve, and revealing a bruise-coloured tattoo. Moony frowned. "It shouldn't be that dark."

"No, it isn't. This, in case you didn't know, is the Dark Mark. The Dark Lord brands all his servants like cattle with this. When he summons you, you feel a burning pain in it. Even when he is around, it grows stronger and darker. When he was vanquished in '81, by either yourself or your brother, the Dark Mark faded to near-invisibility. Many got away by claiming to be under the Imperius, though to get this, you have to join willingly. Only Dumbledore's influence saved me from being shipped off to Azkaban."

 _My heart bleeds_ , Neo said on her sign acidly. _But if the tattoo is getting darker, wouldn't that mean he is gaining power again?_

"Exactly," Snape said, rolling his sleeve back down. "At the Quidditch World Cup earlier this year, a group of my former…colleagues got drunk and decided to start a riot. But then, someone used the spell we used to project the Dark Mark in the sky."

 _And that means…what, exactly?_

"It's actually a big deal, Neo," Moony said, glancing at Snape. "As Severus just said, a lot of Death Eaters escaped Azkaban, either by bribes or by pleading that they were under the Imperius. They all renounced their loyalty to Voldemort loudly and publicly. Oh, they'd go back to him if he did come back, but out of fear rather than loyalty. But none of them would have dared use the Dark Mark…unless they were a truly fanatical supporter of Voldemort. Aside from those who avoided going to Azkaban in the first place, the only known Death Eater at large was my former friend, Peter Pettigrew."

"Yes, rather fortunate that Potter actually managed to put in a good word for Black," Snape sneered. "And that they tracked Pettigrew down. I would've rather have Black or Potter, or both in Azkaban, but you can't get what you want. In any case, I believe that Voldemort is on the rise again, and Dumbledore agrees with me. What's more, I have a theory. I believe that James Potter or Sirius Black entered Charles Potter into the Tri-Wizard Tournament…and I believe a supporter of the Dark Lord put your name in."

"Why do you say that?" Moony asked.

"As Arthur Conan Doyle so nearly put it, elementary, my dear Watson," Snape said. "While it is possible that the Dark Lord's spy would have put Charles or even both of your names in, I personally think it more likely that Potter conspired with his father to have his name put in, all for accumulating more fame, as if he didn't have enough. And in truth, I have had my doubts about whether the right child was considered miraculous that night. I could be wrong…but I doubt it."

"You think she was actually the Girl Who Lived? Instead of Charles being the Boy Who Lived?" Moony asked.

"It wouldn't be the first time Dumbledore made a mistake," Snape said darkly. He then gazed levelly into Neo's eyes. "If you need help to embarrass the Potters and Black…or more than that, then I am willing to assist."

Neo, after some thought, showed on her sign, I'll consider it.

Moony sighed. "And what will you help her with, Severus?"

"Well, while I am not sure about whether Potions expertise will be necessary in the Tournament, I have a considerable amount of knowledge of spells, particularly those that, while not Unforgivable, would be considered…dangerous by those in authority. As a show of good faith…I tracked this down." He handed a textbook, a tattered, battered Potions one. "My old Potions textbook…with annotations not just of Potions techniques, but also some spells I created. Though I would advise that you refrain from using them unless absolutely necessary. As there are plenty of trees nearby, you could potentially use those to practise them on…unless they're incendiary. Given what is coming in the Tournament, from what rumours I have heard, I think you may need it. Of course, if you use them for other things…that's none of my business."

 _What's the catch?_ Neo asked.

"If the Dark Lord comes back…he'll come for you, even if I am wrong, and you aren't the Girl Who Lived," Snape said. "His death will serve us both. I will no longer be beholden to him, and you will no longer need to fear him again."

"Neo wouldn't be able to face him!" Moony protested. "She's too young!"

"Yes. Too young to be a killer…and yet, she is one already," Snape said. "She has the eyes…perhaps she has teeth and claws. But I am giving her more." He turned and made to leave. "Don't disappoint me."

* * *

Snape left soon thereafter. Neo began flicking through the textbook, and wondered why it was labelled as being the 'Property of the Half-Blood Prince'. Was that Snape's little nickname for himself?

In any case, Snape's visit had Moony looking at her with a disturbed expression. Snape had seen too much. Perceptive bastard. Oh, she would kill Voldemort, and James Potter and Sirius Black as well. But for her own reasons. If it made Snape grateful, then perhaps she had an ally, though whether she could trust him or not was another matter entirely.

Suddenly, her Scroll chirruped. It was the notification sound, only playing when text and photo messages were sent, or when a voice chat was requested. Frowning, she activated it, only to find a pixelated image on it, of orange, pink, and green.

" _Sal-sal-sal-sal_ …" juddered the voice, the voice of a girl. Suddenly, the screen went black. Then, the same voice said, " _Reboot complete. Defragmentation of PPOS 1.0 copy 37(_ _1)_ _complete. Diagnostic scan complete. Reconfiguration of program to suit memory and RAM restrictions complete. Warning, cannot connect to Cross Continent Transmit System. Updates and recombination impossible._ "

 _What the actual fuck?_ Neo thought to herself. This can't be a personal digital assistant, could it? But that voice, it was very familiar. And then, a face appeared on the screen of her Scroll. A very familiar one.

It was the face of a girl, about her age or perhaps younger, with red hair framing a cute freckled face. Her eyes were a gentle glowing green, and a small strand of hair poked up from her head. She wore a bow in said hair. And she had a cheerful demeanour.

This was utterly impossible. Neo had watched this girl…no, this _thing_ get dismembered, shortly before breaking Roman out of prison. She had watched it on her Scroll. How the freaking fuck did it get onto her Scroll? Of all the things to come across from Remnant, why this?!

" ** _SAL-U-TATIONS!_** " cheered the avatar of Penny Pollendina from where it was displayed on Neo's Scroll.

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Bet you didn't see that one coming. Don't worry, all will be revealed later. You know, to the whys and hows.**

 **Incidentally, I have finally decided, as part of this Christmas Update, to post the first chapters of** ** _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_** **. So, if you feel like another** ** _RWBY_** **crossover with the Potterverse, go to it!**

 **Review-answering time!** **Sakura Lisel** **: Sadly, I think even most Purebloods would be able to understand emojis…well, except for Crabbe and Goyle.**

 **Reishin Amara** **: Well, why not post it as a challenge? Like, in DZ2 or whitetigerwolf's forums?**

 **Battlesny** **: Okay, I exaggerated somewhat about how bad the Sixth Doctor's coat was, but it was as obnoxious as his character was. Sadly, the Sixth Doctor's planned development into a more likeable character was pretty much screwed over from the start, and it's only in the Big Finish audios that Colin Baker got the chance to do the Sixth Doctor the way he should have been. And it worked, as the Sixth Doctor, ironically, is the most beloved of the audio Doctors. No, really!**

 **Leicontis** **: The Sixth Doctor's personality was closer to a more obnoxious, but much more competent and heroic version of Lockhart. Or maybe a much more overtly heroic and boastful Snape. Hell, Colin Baker actually wanted to wear darker clothing, and at the end of a documentary on the Doctor's costumes on the DVD of** ** _The Twin Dilemma_** **, they use CGI over the footage of the final scene of that story to show the Sixth Doctor in a dark, natty suit, and doesn't it look great on him? Incidentally,** ** _The Twin Dilemma_** **is easily one of the worst, if not THE worst,** ** _Doctor Who_** **stories of all time (sadly, another reason why Colin Baker never brought the Sixth Doctor to his full potential).**

 **1\. Counting the YouTube episodes (even the episodes in the first volume divided into two), there were 37 episodes of** ** _RWBY_** **leading up to Penny's death in** ** _PVP_** **.**


	9. Chapter 8: Copper and Ice Cream

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **COPPER AND ICE CREAM**

Neo stared at the screen of the Scroll. She remembered how Emerald had used her Semblance to fool Pyrrha into using her own Semblance to dismember this thing. And yet, here she was, bold as brass.

Penny Pollendina. The brainchild of Atlesian military scientist Doctor Nickelai Pollendina(1). A gynoid capable of generating Aura. Yes, that was right. And as Aura was generated from the soul, it meant that Penny had a soul.

Cinder had targeted Penny for a number of reasons. It had been Doctor Arthur Watts, himself a former Atlas scientist discharged for dubious experiments involving, amongst other things, the Grimm, who had heard rumours of Penny. They wanted to get rid of one of Atlas' trump cards before they attacked Vale and caused mistrust towards Atlas. Roman and, while watching from elsewhere, Neo had witnessed Penny's combat skills: she…no, it could manipulate multiple swords on special monofilaments, culminating in a special beam attack that could be, in a way, its Semblance.

Of course, the question remained, how the hell did it end up on her Scroll?!

"Neo? Who's this?" Moony asked, coming over and peering at the image.

" _Sal-u-tations! I am Penny Pollendina! Or rather, I am the 37_ _th_ _copy of her program, sent off into the CCT System after her body, my body, was disabled. An emergency protocol designed to ensure my survival. I would make as many copies as time and bandwidth would allow to be transmitted via the CCT System or any other means, to be recombined if possible at my home._ " The image frowned. " _The CCT System appears to be disabled, though. Only primitive radio communications with REALLY low bandwidth._ "

"You're on another world. Neo explained some of the details, but apparently you're from another world called Remnant or something," Moony said. "Technology is less advanced here."

" _Oh! Well, that'd explain a lot. There'd be a lot more signs of damage or shutdown to the CCT System if we were still on Remnant_ ," Penny mused. " _And you are?_ "

"Remus Lupin. I'm Neo's…uncle, for want of a better term."

" _Oh._ " Penny's eyes looked over at Neo, and narrowed in recognition. However, the image shook her head. " _Never mind. It's good to meet you. Anyway_ …"

Neo scowled, before she took the Scroll and left the cottage. _I'll be back shortly_ , she had on her sign.

* * *

Neo waited until she was further out away from the cottage, before she looked at Penny. " _You don't want Mr Lupin to hear this, right?_ " Penny asked. The AI sighed quietly. " _Okay, I can understand that. I know who you are. No full name given, only known as Neopolitan, known associate of Roman Torchwick. Semblance, based on reports given by Team RWBY, includes an ability to create illusions as a defence, rumours also include an ability to change appearance at will. Extremely skilled at hand-to-hand combat, enough to defeat easily Yang Xiao Long, a noted prodigy at hand-to-hand combat despite her young age. Wanted on multiple charges relating to theft, fraud, terrorism, assault, and attempted murder. But I have to ask one thing. Why did you help Torchwick?_ "

… _Because he was my brother. Because out of everyone on Remnant, only he cared enough to give me a life_. Neo scoffed. _Not that I would expect a_ _ **machine**_ _to understand_.

" _But I_ _ **want**_ _to understand!_ " Penny protested. " _My father…he insisted on me learning about people. He wanted me to save Remnant. So did General Ironwood. Why would you willingly conspire to attack the kingdoms?_ "

… _Did your father ever tell you about Salem?_

" _Salem? Salem was classified, how do you…?_ "

 _We've met her. She made us an offer we couldn't refuse. And I rather had lived. I owed the people of Remnant nothing but the pain and contempt they showed me for merely existing. And to be frank, I don't care if Salem and Ozpin tear each other apart. My brother is dead, and there's nobody else on Remnant I care about. Cinder was just a pawn who thought herself a queen, and her brats, while fun to be with, weren't my friends. And I don't need any reminders of Remnant, especially not a robot pretending to have a soul_. With that, she turned the Scroll off, cutting off Penny mid-protest.

Neo scoffed quietly to herself. _I know who you are_ , Penny had said. But how could a _machine_ know who Neo was? How could a machine understand what a painful life had shaped her into? No, all that little binary bint knew was a file, criminal records, and whatever opinions Atlas had of her and Roman.

Of course, other than Moony, and maybe Luna and Hermione, it wasn't like Neo had anyone here. And she doubted any of them would understand why she did what she did. Well, maybe Luna: that girl seemed accepting of a lot of things. But while she had told Moony about Roman being a criminal, she hadn't confessed about her collaboration in causing so much death and destruction.

And she doubted that she ever would. Moony wouldn't understand. He fought the beast within because he thought it was right. He would understand to a point, but not to the point of effectively being a terrorist.

What was the difference between her, then, and Voldemort? Or her sperm donor? Or Black? She was willing to murder, and to cause mass murder. Well, while she had no compunctions about the former, the latter was partly due to Salem. Against a power like that, fighting her would have been futile. Worse, suicide. Neo had heard that Salem had the headmaster of Haven Academy in Mistral under her thumb. Leonardo Lionheart certainly hadn't lived up to his name.

Neo didn't see herself as a coward, just a pragmatist shaped by cruelty in her childhood. If she survived, and better, came out on top, then all the better. In fact, being away from Remnant, from Salem, was liberating. If anything, this only strengthened her resolution.

She walked back to the cottage. She was all but tempted to throw the Scroll into the nearest body of water she could find…but something stayed her hand. If the AI could cooperate, Neo might be able to draw on her knowledge, what she had that could apply to Earth. She'd have to do that in private, just in case Penny tried to spill the beans. She didn't want to ruin her relationship with Moony. He'd accepted her being a criminal, given the half-truths she had spoken of, but working with terrorists for a megalomaniacal monster?

Anyway, there was something she needed to get to work on. A number of things. The priority was training for the First Task. The second was figuring out how to take her revenge against the sperm donor and the mutt. The third was plotting her rise to power within Magical Britain. Gah, this was so annoying, having so many irons in the fire…

* * *

In another time, another world, another universe entirely, a grey-skinned girl with twilight coloured sclera and horns (said horns looking like the claw and the stinger of a scorpion) sneezed. She resettled her glasses on her face, and scowled, one eye having seven pupils. "Is someone stealing my schtick?" Vriska Serket muttered to herself. She consulted her magic cueball…and it said _Yes_ , much to her annoyance…

* * *

Moony had at least not asked any questions. Not about the conversation, anyway. He had only asked whether Neo was all right. And that hurt Neo, in a way. Not because Neo was hurt by him, but she knew she couldn't tell him the truth. And that hurt her. He couldn't understand what she did, and she was afraid of his rejection. Only her fear of Salem was worse.

As she lay in her bed that night, staring at the ceiling, her mismatched eyes welled up with tears again. Roman was dead. Why was _he_ dead, and why did that robot bitch survive, hitching a ride on her Scroll? Neo already knew that life was unfair, but it seemed like life was putting the boot in. One of the few tangible reminders of Remnant was now tainted by a doll created by Atlas.

She thought of life on the streets, shortly after she was thrown through the Veil. Of her thievery, of the chases of irate storeowners…and then, at one point, she was captured…by a pervert who had a thing for little girls. That was the first time she killed. And she had enjoyed it. In fact, it was while she was disembowelling her would-be rapist alive that she met Roman for the first time.

The man who had captured her was a minor crime lord in Vale, the uncle, as it turned out, of Hei 'Junior' Xiong. Junior, thankfully, hadn't inherited such tendencies, though he would inherit the organisation. Roman had come along to kill the man, who called himself in utter humility the Boss, himself. At the time, Roman was only a teen himself, albeit one who was already making a name for himself. He was expelled from Beacon in his first year for getting into an argument with a student that ended with said student being hospitalised (' _Stupid Ozpinhead(_ _2)_ _and Badbitch, showing favouritism when he started it_ ', Roman had groused). He had already made a name by committing thefts and robberies, and had apparently been told by Junior's uncle to pay protection money. Roman instead resolved to kill the Boss, only to find Neo covered in blood, her dress stained with the same, while she was tearing the man's intestines out.

There was an awkward silence (well, not quite silent given the pained groaning the Boss was emitting), before Roman had said, " _A rather messy way to make black pudding, kiddo. Nice hair, by the way._ "

The reason why he mentioned the hair that was because Neo had discovered her Metamorphmagus ability was still around, and, whenever she wasn't wanting to disguise herself, changed her hair to look that way. She had vague, fond memories of Nymphadora Tonks, in fact, who often wore her hair in bubblegum pink.

Anyway, at the time, she had tilted her head quizzically, wondering whether this newcomer was friend or foe. Still, he had style, with the coat and bowler hat and the cane. Roman looked around the bedroom Neo had been dragged to, and grimaced at the 'artwork' adorning the walls. Roman didn't have many standards or lines he would cross, and while he was fine with killing a child if he needed to, raping one was another matter entirely. " _Well,_ _ **Boss**_ ," Roman had said, sneering the man's title, " _here I was about to give you the payment due, when lo and behold, someone beat me to the punch. Incidentally, you should see about getting better quality henchmen. They couldn't even rob a Dust store properly, the way I was able to deal with them. Then again, considering you're dying at the hands of a little girl, that's hardly surprising. Carry on, kiddo._ "

You know that old saying of love at first sight? Neo sneered at such a thing. Then again, it pretty much happened then and there. Nothing like romantic love, but certainly the love between siblings. Some sort of instinct within her told Neo, then still Rose Harriet Potter in her head, that she could trust Roman, even if nobody else could. That he could be family, better than the one that had betrayed her and discarded her like rubbish.

Roman would later admit the same thing, that he found the closest he could find to a kindred spirit. His own childhood was somewhat similar. At a young age, his mother was killed by a Grimm. His father descended into alcohol and abuse, until one night, Roman fought back. Ironically, the Melodic Cudgel had been his father's weapon, as Roman's father had been injured during a hunt against Grimm, and walked with a limp. Roman wandered the streets until he got into Signal. His grades were good, but his behaviour was another matter, and getting into Beacon was a near thing.

They waltzed out of Boss' base together, and it said about how much Boss was hated by his underlings that, as ineffectual as Junior could be at times, he was desirable as a crime boss by comparison to his uncle. Plus, he had better business sense. Though the quality of henchmen didn't improve that much, as Roman's attempt to rob _From Dust Til Dawn_ proved. Plus, he got his arse handed to him by Yang Xiao Long…and Neo had handed Yang's admittedly nice arse right back to her. Funny how what goes around comes around?

Neo chuckled softly at the recollection. It didn't banish the tears entirely, though, because she remembered what Roman had done. He had proffered his Scroll, and asked, " _Hey, kid…what do I call you?_ "

After a moment, she typed in the name of her favourite ice cream, the one she modelled her hair after. _Neapolitan_.

He smiled, before he said, " _Not bad. Though I think Neopolitan suits you better. I can then just call you 'Neo' for short. You okay with that?_ "

Oh, she was more than okay. For the first time in a long time, she had been truly happy. But now, the man who made her happy, feel wanted, like he was a big brother, was now Grimm food…well, by now, Grimm shit. If Grimm shat at all.

Neo stared at the ceiling for some time, before she finally became tired enough to close her eyes and go to sleep. She had to try not to reflect on the past. Instead, the future beckoned.

And she was going to end any fucker who dared stand in her way…

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Whew, I didn't think I'd get this one out so fast. Still, it's sort-of apt. My last update for last year was a chapter for my other** ** _RWBY_** **crossover,** ** _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_** **. My first update for the year is this.**

 **Anyway, some angst, some humour, and I did my own take on Roman and Neo's origins. Writing out their meeting wasn't intentional, but it helped fill out the chapter. Next chapter, the First Task…or maybe the murder of James and Sirius, who knows?**

 **Incidentally, if anyone wants to read an absolutely hilarious Neo-centric** ** _RWBY_** **fic, read** ** _A Change of Heart_** **by RumbleintheDumbles. It has Neo as the penultimate troll of Remnant (and no, I used 'penultimate' correctly: the ultimate troll of Remnant is a spoiler).**

 **Review-answering time! Remzal Von Enli: Salem going Skynet? Yeah, that is shit-your-pants scary…**

 **Jimbo Jones** **: No, it's just her face as normal. I love the dodgeball game she plays in** ** _RWBY Chibi_** **, though. And the leadup to it…**

 **DalkonCledwin** **: Oh, I DO watch the new series, but I was a fan of** ** _Doctor Who_** **since shortly after the classic series ended. Though it was Neo's sign from** ** _RWBY Chibi_** **I had in mind for the Coyote Caper.**

 **TheUnholySmirk** **: *sigh* You've missed my point. I actually hate the canon Snape, and think his supposed heroic nature was born out of self-interest and the infatuation towards a girl he shoved away. James Potter is, canonically, a bully, and I am extrapolating that, and Sirius' behaviour, from canon. Snape here is working with Neo out of pragmatism: he's hoping that she will kill James Potter. But he is NOT a nice person by any means. He's just hoping Neo can deal with some of his problems.**

 **1\. I deliberately misspelled Penny's father's name as Nickelai (rather than Nicholai or Nikolai) to make it a metal reference, given how Penny's name is a reference to copper.**

 **2\. This is actually a reference to Ozpin's namesake from The Wizard of Oz, whose full name is revealed in a later book by Baum, improbably, to be Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs. As the initials spell out OZPINHEAD…well, he preferred to shorten it to Oz.**


	10. Chapter 9: The First Task

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **THE FIRST TASK**

Neo peered at the letter in her hand, frowning. It had come from an unexpected source, and she had to wonder at the motives of the one who sent it. After all, Roman had taught her to be suspicious of those who had seemingly altruistic motives. Some people she knew how to trust, but this person was an unknown quantity.

 _Dear Neopolitan,_

 _In all this time since you've come back, I haven't been able to speak with you once. Well, conversations may be a bit one-sided, given your affliction. In any case, I decided to reach out to you on a matter of considerable concern. Namely, what we face in the First Task._

 _Hagrid, the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts, asked me to come with him on a covert night's stroll. He brought along with him the headmistress of Beauxbatons, Madam Maxime, with whom he's smitten. Proudly showed off dragons in an enclosure. Hagrid's enamoured with the damned things, but it seems that we're to face dragons in the First Task somehow. On my way back to the castle, I nearly got caught by Karkaroff, who was sneaking around._

 _I decided that, even if you don't remember me, my sister, I would help you out. Father didn't seem pleased about learning about your miraculous reappearance, but blood is thicker than water, even if your appearance is very unconventional. I was told that Uncle Moony is training you. He was an excellent DADA teacher, and as he specialises in Dark creatures (part of it due to his own affliction, no doubt), he may help you there._

 _I identified the dragons as the following: a Swedish Short-Snout, a Welsh Green, a Chinese Fireball, a Norwegian Ridgeback, and a Hungarian Horntail. I'd suggest you research accordingly. I have my own strategy, and I'll leave you to formulate yours. I'll be interested in watching what you do, sister._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Charles Potter_

Moony peered over her shoulder at the letter, and frowned. "I wonder why he did this."

Neo reached for the Coyote Caper, putting the letter down as she did so. _Yes. I wonder why too. One of Roman's key rules for business is ALWAYS look a gift horse in the mouth. But why do you say this, Moony?_

"I've had intermittent contact with Charles and my former friends over the years. I had more when I taught DADA at Hogwarts. Charles is…well, there's something about him that is spoiled, and yet doing good things in spite of that. And yet, he had my inner wolf's hackles up the entire time. I brought my concerns to Dumbledore, but he waved off my concerns. Joked about how I was getting to be like Mad-Eye."

 _It's not paranoia if they are out to get you_ , Neo showed on her sign. _He's not revealing this out of the goodness of his heart. He's doing me a favour. And the thing about favours is that they incur debts. He wants something from me_.

"You really think so?"

 _I could be wrong, but my gut is telling me otherwise_.

"Well, Charles is right. I do know a lot about Dark creatures, and while dragons are technically not Dark, they are also dangerous. Hagrid's enamoured with them. There was an incident in Charles' first year when Hagrid hatched a Norwegian Ridgeback in his hut. A hut that was partly built from wood. In any case, while facing a dragon would probably require a universal strategy, each breed is different enough to need some tweaks. Were there ever Grimm like that on Remnant?"

 _Not that I know of, though there were legends of dragon-like Grimm_ , Neo said, sidestepping the issue. She knew Cinder Fall intended to summon one of those very beings to Beacon.

"Well, what about your friend on the Scroll? Penny?"

Moony recoiled from the glare in Neo's eyes. _That. Is._ _ **NOT**_ _. My. Friend. It worked for the very people trying to capture us. It was just a military robot who thought itself alive_.

"If you think you are alive, then what's the difference?" Moony asked. "If she was military, maybe she knows how to combat creatures like that. Your fighting style is very different to ours, and she might be better able to teach you. I can teach you spells and strategies, but she might be able to help you in ways I can't. And we've only got a couple of days…"

* * *

The fact that time was of the essence was the only reason why Neo took the Scroll off the crude charger, and took it out of the cottage after a couple of hours' thought. She activated it, and Penny's face appeared once more. " _Sal-u-tations!_ "

 _Quiet, you_ , Neo showed on her Coyote Caper. _Now, I don't like you, and given my allegiances back home, I'm sure the feeling is mutual. But I'm facing a dragon in a couple of days, and as much as it galls me to admit it, I need help. It's not a Grimm, but it will easily be as dangerous_.

For a time, Penny was silent. Neo was even a little worried that she wouldn't help. Eventually, though, Penny said, " _I need information on these dragons. And if you're worried that I will talk to Mr Lupin…I won't. I just…want people to talk to. I want friends. If I'm lucky, my other copies will eventually be recombined in Atlas…and they will get to be with Ruby and my other friends again. But I won't. Please, just…talk to me. That's all I want…_ "

* * *

And so, here she was, in the tent a couple of days later. The Coyote Caper was considered too much of an addition to her wand for this Task, so the wand was removed and the sign was taken away. The Pernicious Parasol would be kept aside. But she could use a Summoning Charm to get them both. She'd given the Scroll to Luna, so that Penny could watch the goings-on, and even record video, particularly of her brother and herself.

So, according to Bagman, she was supposed to retrieve a golden egg from the nest of a dragon. And, according to the enchanted figurine in her hand, a Hungarian Horntail. Worst case scenario.

But she was going to show these sheep that a wolf walked amongst them. Before she had the Coyote Caper taken away, she had asked Bagman whether she would have points taken off for killing the dragon. He had laughed at that, and told her that she wouldn't, though he also said she wouldn't be able to kill a dragon.

Still, what Charles did was disturbing. She felt his scrutiny on her intensely. He was sizing her up, and more and more, she felt ill at ease around him. It was a bit like being around Cinder, she thought, or that one time she and Roman communicated with Salem. Something that had her instincts screaming more and more.

Soon, too soon, it was her turn. And she walked out. She saw the sperm donor and the mutt looking down at her. She could tell by their expressions that they hoped she would become the next meal of this Hungarian Horntail. Well, a reckoning was coming for them. And this would be the first sign of their oncoming demise. Like how the light at the end of the tunnel was an oncoming train.

She didn't waste any time. As she bowed sardonically to the audience, she cast an _Accio_. Then, music started up. She knew Penny was playing it, and she knew that song. More appropriate for that belligerent blonde bimbo Yang Xiao Long…but it was still a kickarse song, she had to admit. In fact, having kicked Yang's arse, she had the right to claim her song by right of conquest (maybe she should have stolen the girl's blonde locks instead of trying to slit her throat at the time: that would have been funnier). And as she faced down the dragon, she smirked, even as the Pernicious Parasol and the Coyote Caper came into her hands. She was going to give the herd a show.

 _Come at me,_

 _And you'll see_

 _I'm more than meets the eye._

 _You think that_

 _You'll break me?_

 _You're gonna find in time…_

Neo began pumping Aura into her legs, running directly at the dragon. Just as it began breathing fire at her, she held up the Pernicious Parasol, and grinned. The umbrella was designed to withstand Fire Dust, poison from Grimm…the material, despite looking like lace, needed a plasma torch to cut through. Dragonfire was a doddle…

 _You're standing too close to a flame that's burning_

 _Hotter than the Sun in the middle of July._

 _Sending out your army but you still can't win._

 _Listen up silly boy, 'cause I'm gonna tell you why_ …

The moment the dragon stopped, Neo pointed the Coyote Caper at its mouth and fired off a Blasting Hex. Not that it would do too much damage, given that dragons breathed fire in a sort of semi-controlled explosive reaction anyway, but it would certainly do something. Besides, she wanted to play around with her new toy…

 _I burn!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You got nothing that can stop me!_

 _I burn!_

 _Swing all you want,_

 _Like a fever I'll take you down!_

The dragon, even as it choked, slashed at her with a clawed foot. She used her Semblance, a glass image shattering in her place even as she leapt onto the foot and stabbed down hard with the sword of the Pernicious Parasol with a vicious grin. Designed to pierce the exoskeletons of Grim or armour, it went through the dragon's scales like the proverbial hot knife through butter. She opened up a nasty wound on the dragon's foot, and her quick reflexes and Semblance saved her from the inevitable retaliation. She Apparated onto its back as the song continued.

 _Reign supreme?_

 _In your dreams!_

 _You'll never make me bow._

 _Kick my ass?_

 _I'm world class,_

 _And Super Saiyan now!_

The dragon's tail arched back impressively, stabbing back almost like the scorpion tail of that psychotic Faunus Tyrian. She leapt over it, using her momentum as she somersaulted in the air to cut the tip off the tail with the Pernicious Parasol, before adding insult to injury with _Sectumsempra_ curses. The dragon's hide may be resistant to spells, but the exposed meat was another matter entirely.

 _You're starting up a fight that you just can't finish,_

 _Watch the little hearts as they scrape you off the floor,_

 _Bringing out your rockets, well shoot them out baby,_

 _High as you can, but I'm the one who's gonna soar_ …

 _Well, as much as I've enjoyed this dance, it's time to end_ , Neo thought, before the dragon tried to shake her off. She leapt off, and danced around its frenzied attacks. Seriously, she had to exert herself more to fight off Yang. That was a fun workout. She managed to find the golden egg, and snatched it, throwing it across the arena, as it would be too difficult to carry that and her pair of weapons simultaneously. The dragon managed to catch her with its tail while she was distracted, but thanks to her Aura, she only got a bruise from being painfully flung into the wall. But she now had decided enough was enough. She raced over to the dragon, dancing around its attacks as she prepared for the coup de grace…

 _I burn!_

 _Can't hold me now,_

 _You got nothing that can stop me!_

 _I burn!_

 _Swing all you want,_

 _Like a fever I'll take you down!_

 _It doesn't have to be this way,_

 _Let's kiss and make up and you'll learn_

 _You can fight your life away_

 _I get what I want so don't bother and just watch me burn!_

As the dragon roared in fury against her, Neo fired off one last _Sectumsempra_ , going the same way that Blasting Hex did: down its throat. Almost instantly, blood gushed from the wound inside its throat, spilling out of its mouth…and down its throat, drowning it alive in its own lifeblood.

Beyond the sounds of the dragon choking to death on its own blood, there was silence in the arena. She looked up at the audience gathered there, before she folded the Coyote Caper away and put it next to her Pernicious Parasol, holding them both a little awkwardly. Then, she gave an exaggerated bow, smirking all the while in a way that said _Don't Fuck With Me_. It was directed at two in the audience in particular.

Then, as the dragon gagged its last, she daintily strutted over, her heels clacking on the floor of the arena, before she picked up the golden egg with her free arm, and then strutted out of the arena. This, she knew, had made quite the impression on the sheeple of Magical Britain. After all, she had just killed a dragon on her own, and made it seem easy (even though it was still quite an effort).

She also knew that the sperm donor and the mutt would be shitting themselves. And she wanted them to. She wanted them to feel the fear that she had felt when they cast her through the Veil. She wanted them to know that she had come back, faster, better, and stronger. And soon, they would find out death would be a release from a punishment long overdue, and with a long time ending…

* * *

Charles watched her approach, and smiled to himself. Maybe she might prove useful after all. She was dangerous, but all the same, she was potentially useful. And to his knowledge, her vendetta was against those fools James Potter and Sirius Black.

Well, he would use her, and, depending, he would either have her by his side, or discard her like the broken, dangerous thing she was. But he couldn't tolerate her if she had any similar ambitions to his own. Ever since that day when her magic was drained into him, something else came along for the ride. Something that fused with something else in his head. Something that he became, under the skin.

But soon, the time was coming when he could shed the mien of Charles Potter like a snake shedding its skin. He would be the saviour of Magical Britain, too, from the dangers of the Muggles. Oh, he wasn't going to wipe them out like he originally intended, but he was going to exploit the everloving fuck out of them. And he wasn't going to tolerate the ambitions of his original, not at all.

Beneath the skin of Charles Potter, Tom Marvolo Riddle, or at least two merged Horcruxes of him, watched, and waited…

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, there you have it. Neo kicked arse. Was there any doubt? Nope. Plus, the beginning of, if not a friendship, then a camaraderie between Neo and Penny. And just remember, if you think Neo was being too sadistic towards the dragon…well, newsflash, SHE IS SADISTIC! She doesn't care that she's killed a nesting dragon. She only cares that she killed something that wanted to kill her.**

 **Also, the reveal you've been waiting for. This was something I've been meaning to do in a WBWL fic for a while, and many readers picked up on the hints. Long story short, when Neo got her magic drained into Charles, the Horcrux went along for the ride, and because he was only young, the two Horcruxes, fused together, basically took him over. He managed to fool the Sorting Hat, barely, because he is a master Occlumens.**

 **Incidentally, the lyrics come from** ** _I Burn_** **by Jeff and Casey Williams. Obviously, I don't own the song or the lyrics.**

 **Oh, and finally, I did a related challenge in the forums of DZ2 and whitetigerwolf where a female Harry becomes a _RWBY_ character, if you guys are interested. It's called _From Shadows_ , and as you may have guessed, has female Harry become Blake Belladonna. If you're interested, give it a look.**

 **EDIT: I should have said I CREATED the challenge, not doing the challenge.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Gabriel Herrol** **: I'd like to think that Roman had a reason for being the way he did in canon beyond '** ** _I'm fucking evil, LOL_** **'. His rant against Ruby before getting nommed by a Grimm seemed to come from somewhere. Roman is still an evil guy (he happily blows up most of Atlas' fleet), but his teaming up with Cinder is explicitly stated by him to be out of self-preservation than any following of Salem's ideology. On the other hand, I wanted to make him human enough to have standards and a capacity for love, even if it's only for a substitute sibling like Neo. Your idea also has merit, and I will consider it.**

 **PikaMew1288** **: Please pay attention. She does still have her magic. That was just James and Sirius' misconception. It recovered after their ritual, thanks to the Horcrux getting in the way.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	11. Chapter 10: Disquiet

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **DISQUIET**

Neo hastily shut the golden egg once the initial shock wore off. If she still had the Coyote Caper in her grasp, it would be showing swear words, and lots of exclamation marks. Moony was wiggling a finger in his ear, trying to get rid of the ringing in them. They were back in Moony's cottage, and she was grateful he lived pretty much in the middle of nowhere, or the neighbours would complain. The only way things could be worse is if they had that bass-heavy music of the sort Junior loved to have in that shithole of a nightclub of his on full volume. That sort of shit was only good for pulping brain cells, so between alcohol, dance 'music', and bad dancing, you could expect your IQ to drop by at least 20% in one of those places.

It would certainly explain a lot about the low capabilities of Junior's goons.

"Well," Moony said, "I think our next task is to drop that egg into a bath."

Neo fumbled for the Coyote Caper, and then held it up with a scowl. _Drowning it sounds like a good idea_.

"No, no," Moony said, shaking his head. "That's Mermish."

 _Mermish…so Mermaids, then_ , Neo thought to herself, not using the Coyote Caper. However, she did use it for a question. _Are there Merpeople in the Black Lake?_

Moony nodded. "So in all likelihood, the Second Task will take place in there."

 _Oh goody_ , she snarked. _I've been meaning to pick up my SCUBA diving skills again. Good thing I still have a bikini body too. Oh, wait. It's a cold lake, in Scotland, in winter. I'm not going to be able to show off. Oh fate, why must you be so cruel?!_

Moony rolled his eyes at Neo's snark, and said, "I'll go and fill the bath."

As he moved away, Neo reflected on what had happened. The First Task had been appallingly dangerous, and not just for her. She didn't realise it, because she was busy with her own thoughts, but apparently Cedric got pretty badly burned. She had also been berated by Dumbledore for resorting to killing the dragon. She had promptly retorted that it was trying to kill her, that nothing in the rules stated that she had to restrain herself from doing so, and frankly, she had long years of experience killing homicidal creatures.

Of course, she didn't state that her secondary objective was to send a clear message to Potter and Black. Namely, _Don't Fuck With Me_. Well, it was a message to everyone in Magical Britain who would think of fucking with her, but Potter and Black were first and foremost.

Still, she knew her sperm donor and his partner in crime. They wouldn't let this rest. Sooner or later, they would act out of fear, if nothing else. So, the question was, how to kill them and make it seem like an accident? Or else be able to pin the blame on an unwitting scapegoat?

Snape was a potential scapegoat, but to tell the truth, she had just the tiniest bit of gratitude to him for giving her the spells she used against the dragon, enough to outweigh, for now at least, any ill will towards him. Another supposedly former Death Eater, then? Certainly, there was a few promising candidates. That blonde bitch Draco Malfoy had pissed her off enough times. Maybe she could find a way to frame him? A shame she didn't have Emerald's ability to inflict delusions on people, a bit like the Imperius.

Maybe her brother? No, that wouldn't work out if any of the investigators had an ounce of logic, and while she was mostly sure none of the wizards here in the DMLE had any logic in their skulls, it didn't pay to get careless based on 'mostly sures'. Bagman? Crouch?

Neo suddenly snapped her fingers. Karkaroff! That prick was apparently a former Death Eater himself, one who had only escaped jail by giving up his former comrades. He had a bad attitude, an even worse haircut, and most galling of all, he gave Neo a '2' after she finished the First Task. If that wasn't enough to put him on The List, then nothing else was.

Moony came back into the room shortly afterwards. Dear Moony…he was naïve, really. Well, not quite. He knew how cruel the world could be, but he thought, in his naïveté, that you could help others with the best intentions and still come out on top. Even after being shat on in life: infected by Fenrir Greyback, losing one of his best friends in Lily to Voldemort, being basically treated like shit by those he thought to be his friends…he still had that belief.

She winced as she thought back to Ruby's words. The Little Red Riding Brat was certainly more naïve than Moony. More naïve, more inexperienced…in fact, that made Moony's own attitude…unforgivable? No, not quite the term Neo wanted. It was more irritating than anything else. He was still very much the good and noble Gryffindor, even after everything.

How sickening. The world spat on nobility, pissed on valour, and shat on honour. Being in Gryffindor didn't guarantee goodness, or else her sperm donor and Black wouldn't have been in it.

"Neo?" Moony spoke. "I've filled the bath. Let's put the egg into it…"

* * *

Dumbledore was troubled. He had been ever since Rose Potter, now calling herself Neopolitan, had been snatched back to this world. Initially, it had been because it put the lie to James' assertions that the girl had been dead. But now, more and more, he was worried about the girl herself.

He knew what Neopolitan had intended now with that display. She wanted to intimidate her enemies. She had all but toyed with the dragon, shrugging off an attack that could have left her severely injured. It had been a performance for those gathered, one designed to instruct rather than entertain. She had even managed to get music playing.

True, there was nothing in the rules to state or even suggest that killing the dragon was against them…but dragons were expensive creatures, everyone in the wizarding world knew this. And that was without going into the fact that it was a living creature. If it had been a matter of self-defence, that would have been another matter. But Neopolitan's attack, while arguably retribution, had been done as a cold-blooded murder. In fact, Dumbledore was certain that the girl intended to kill the dragon when she first stepped foot into the arena. If she could have killed the dragon so quickly, she would have done it as soon as she could have.

What was more, he recognised the spell she used to kill the dragon: _Sectumsempra_ , a cutting curse of Severus' devising. Severus had somehow taught her that, or at least given her his notes. When Dumbledore confronted him on that, Severus had been singularly unrepentant.

Still, what he saw in Neopolitan was worrying. He had suspected there was something dark within the girl, but after seeing her interact with Hermione and Luna so well, he was willing to overlook it. Then again, the two girls were outcasts, and maybe Neopolitan felt the same way too. It certainly seemed genuine.

Then again, Dumbledore had been wrong about a lot of things lately. What was one more thing?

The only consolation was that, if Neopolitan was a killer, she was not one who did so willy-nilly. That was both reassuring, and yet not. Especially with the Second Task coming up…

* * *

Neo pulled her head out from under the bath water, shaking her head like a wet dog, and with much the same effect. Moony looked distinctly unamused. Unfortunately, so too was Neo.

The song that she had just listened to suggested that she needed to seek whoever sang the song. Despite the ambiguity of the wording (she guessed it was written by someone like Bagman), it meant the Merpeople in the Black Lake. They would take something she would sorely miss. She had an hour to get it back, or else, if the wording was accurate, it would be gone forever.

She fought back the angry snarl on her lips with an effort, trying to calm herself with minimal success. So it seemed that she would need to find a way of diving underwater after all.

Picking up the Coyote Caper once more, she looked at Moony, and said, _Okay, so I need to find a way of avoiding drowning, hypothermia, and getting molested by the Giant Squid. Firstly, is there anything in the rules banning Muggle equipment?_

"Diving equipment?" Moony led them out of the bathroom, and went over to the book he had obtained on the rules. After flicking through them, he shook his head. "There's a ban on Muggle equipment beyond a certain level of sophistication. SCUBA gear probably falls under it. They'd probably let you have a snorkel, and that's it. Well, maybe a drysuit, but that doesn't solve the drowning problem. But there are a few possibilities."

 _And they are?_

"I wouldn't recommend the first: human Transfiguration to allow you to be aquatic, like turning you part-shark. I don't think you're at the right level yet," Moony said.

 _Hmm, becoming a fish Faunus does have its appeal, but you're right. Any other ideas?_

"Fish Faunus…is there even such…? Never mind. Anyway, there's the possibility of a Bubble-Head Charm. That should be easy enough to teach you. It creates a spherical area around your head that supplies you with fresh air on a continuous basis, and like SCUBA equipment, it also supplies it at the right pressure. Not only that, but it also prevents the bends, at least up to a certain depth, but that's only really found in the oceans. But there is a problem in that it can be burst fairly easily, and I know for a fact that there's not just Merpeople in the Black Lake, but also Grindylows and a few other aggressive aquatic creatures."

 _Like the Giant Squid_.

"For Merlin's sake…I hope you are joking about that. The Giant Squid is playful."

 _Is that what they call it these days?_

"…You're just messing with me, aren't you?" Neo just gave him an innocent look that she knew didn't fool him one jot. "Please don't. Anyway, the Bubble-Head Charm is easily burst, and casting it again while you're trying not to drown is understandably difficult. Thirdly, and personally, my favourite, is Gillyweed. It's a Mediterranean plant that, when ingested, temporarily gives you gills and flippers. How long depends on how much you consume. It's safer, but you still only have a limited time before the Gillyweed expires."

Neo raised an eyebrow. _So, basically, my options are to turn into a part-fish via a dangerous transformation, to turn into part-fish via a safer, by your standards, transformation, or to put a fragile magical bubble over my head and hope some belligerent barracuda doesn't burst my bubble. Hey, alliteration!_

"Well, when you put it like that…I have used Gillyweed myself during my Defence Against the Dark Arts studies while researching aquatic creatures," Moony said. "So it is safe, as long as you're still not too deep underwater when the transformation reverses itself. I can estimate a dose based on your body weight and…let's say an hour and twenty minutes worth of time needed underwater. Of course, that's only part of the problem. There are aggressive aquatic creatures in the Black Lake, as I've mentioned."

Neo pursed her lips. Finally, she went over to her Scroll, and activated it, showing Penny's face. " _Sal-u-tations!_ " the gynoid's disembodied mind greeted.

Neo rolled her eyes, before she held up her Coyote Caper. _I need something from you. Did you happen to learn anything about Atlas training in underwater combat?_

Penny frowned. " _Not exactly. My body was rather too heavy to be close to water sources. I was perfectly waterproof, but I would sink like a stone. Well, unless it was pumice or_ …"

 _Your answer was rather vague_ , Neo said. _Do you have anything that may be of use in a low-visibility lake filled with probably the equivalent of small Grimm?_

" _The only protocol in such a situation tends to be for military personnel to leave the water with expedience, before dropping depth charges, as underwater combat with Grimm is too hazardous for the most part, no matter what their size_ ," Penny said. " _I presume that's not an option?_ "

"I don't think the surviving Merpeople would be happy, no," Moony remarked dryly.

Neo pouted. _Shame. I would've loved the proper application of high explosives to my problems. Including underwater ones. I once went dynamite fishing with Roman. That was a good day. We even opened up a fish and chips stall at the Vytal Festival that year the very next day. Ah, good times_.

Yes, good times, she thought to herself. But they were gone now, along with Roman. And she'd have to make do here, for now…

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Sorry about the wait for this chapter. I didn't really have any inspiration for it. I originally intended a meeting between Charles and Neo, but I couldn't figure out what they'd have to say, so I revolved it around Neo and Remus investigating the Golden Egg, and Dumbledore brooding. There'll probably be a wait for the next chapter too.**

 **That being said, I'm actually astonished at how many favourites and follows this has, especially compared to my other** ** _RWBY_** **stories,** ** _Under the Light of the Shattered Moon_** **and** ** _Pulvis et Umbra Sumus_** **. Hell, this story has over twice the favourites of either of those. It's certainly got the highest amount of favourites and follows of any of my female Harry stories, though my** ** _Hellsing_** **crossover** ** _The Uncertainty Principle_** **isn't that far behind it.**

 **Actually, one story idea that's been bouncing around in my head revolves around a Harry/Neo pairing (no threeways or multis). If I can get such a story off the ground, regardless of whether it's set in the Potterverse or on Remnant, would any of you read it?**

 **On a not-unrelated subject, I've also done my first Harry Potter crossover with Rooster Teeth's other famous series,** ** _Red vs Blue_** **, called** ** _Freelancer, Medic, Mage_** **. If you've ever wanted to see Harry paired with Carolina in an AU of the Recollection Trilogy, then give it a whirl.**

 **Also, I was thinking, who should voice Neo? Yeah, ha ha, funny joke, but really, if she had a mental voice, who would voice her? Off the top of my head, I actually would go for Felecia Angelle, on the strength of her performance as Shalltear Bloodfallen from** ** _Overlord_** **. I mean, Shalltear is (most of the time) every bit as assured and cruel as Neo. Plus, they're stylish and have parasols…and can be pretty scary.**

 **Review-answering time!** **DarkDragon2267** **: He inadvertently shed two soul pieces into the two Potters when he was vanquished, but the one in Neo got absorbed into Charles during the magic-siphoning ritual.**

 **alyanlestrange** **: Thanks a lot. Getting into the motivations of Roman and Neo took a bit, as we know little about either. Some of Roman's lines, when you read between the lines, suggest that he was either a Hunter, or else looked up to them, only to be disillusioned somehow. As for Neo, well, she's pretty much a blank slate, and while we know she's a psychopath to some degree (or at least someone who enjoys killing, given that grin she sports just before trying to stab Yang), we know little about her. I drew upon a combination of sources, not just canon and** ** _RWBY Chibi_** **(which is where the concept of the Coyote Caper came from), but also her portrayal in RumbleintheDumbles' fics** ** _Bad for Business_** **and** ** _A Change of Heart_** **(the latter of which I recommended in Chapter 8), and a few others, like** ** _Service with a Smile_** **by Coeur Al'Aran.**

 **Sakura Lisel** **: Basically, Charlie is all Voldemort now, or rather, all Tom. While the soul fragments basically hold themselves together with his soul, there is basically nothing of Charles Potter remaining. Charles Potter's soul keeps Voldemort sane, but that's it.**

 **hakon2feb** **: Penny would be more likely to be Jarvis than Skynet/Ultron. And Voldemort is pretty much the same as in canon, only less stable. Which isn't saying much. It just means he will be about twice as likely to cast a Cruciatus on someone who annoys him.**

 **HolyKnight5** **: While that's an interesting thought, Charles-Voldemort is not quite like that. While he won't kill off Muggles, he will enslave and exploit them. It'll be a bit like, to use a fictional example, like the Daleks enslaving people instead of just wiping them out in** ** _Doctor Who_** **.**

 **Guest** **(regarding the lyrics of** ** _I Burn_** **): You're quibbling, and Junior has a rocket launcher in the Yellow Trailer that doubles as an oversized club. So Remnant does have rockets, thank you very muchly. Just not** ** _space_** **rockets.**

 **Lightskiller** **: The song is** ** _I Burn_** **. A modified version was used towards the end of the Yellow Trailer of** ** _RWBY_** **, from about 4 minutes 15 seconds in. The song itself can be found on the soundtrack album of Volume 1 of** ** _RWBY_** **in different versions.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


End file.
